Google Maps: How to add contacts for existing POIs?

[MareLuce]

I'm traveling next month on vacation with family and a friend to Prague, Berlin, Vienna. I'll be the primary navigator. I recently (Friday!) switched from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 because I realized that the new Apple Maps would do a great job of getting us lost.

Question:
For the google maps points of interest that we have already created, how do I add those POIs as Contacts on my phone (linked w/ a gmail account)?


Almost:
I see how when I search Google Maps app for a new POI, there is a "Add as Contact" option.

But when I tap on a placemark for a POI that I added last week, I don't see that.

I hope someone smart has figured this out! I have ~ 80 existing POIs for this trip! If not, is there a clever workaround?

Here is what our Prague map looks like with POIs added to date.

 

[Harry2]

When your selected POI is shown on the map, open it with a tap on the ">" and then use Maps's Menu button for 'Add to contacts'

Harry

 

[MareLuce]

Harry, can you follow the steps that I have, and tell me if you actually see an "Add to Contacts" on the menu?

1) From your PC or mac, go to maps.google.com. Pretend you are planning for an upcoming trip. Find a POI you want to visit, and save it to a map you name after that city.


2) From your android device, navigate to that map via Google Maps:
a) click on the layers button, on the lower right
b) click on My Places
c) swipe the top "tabs" right to left till you see "My Maps" for the map you just created.

3) Tap on the POI you created. Tap on menu.
Do you see "Add to Contacts"?


I don't.


What am I missing?

 

[Harry2]

MareLuce, I haven't created any maps in 'My Maps'.
That's maybe the reason I don't have 'My Places' at the layer menu (or you had meant 'My Maps' and then choosing 'My Places')

I approach 'My Places' directly by the Maps tab (upper left corner).

I think your POIs from 'My Maps' are in 'My Places' too ... and so you could reach your POIs in the same manner as I do ... and then you'd get on the POI's page 'Add as a contacts' at the Maps's menu

Harry

 

[newbie4]

ok i already came off my trip however this info is important I ended using and caring a very old gps since I do not have data connection but hopefully on my next trip data connection could be allot cheaper so I could get maybe 10 mb. Anyhow how do you get the maps save as offline into my maps section on the phone? Have you been able to mark your POI? Need to know for future since gps old and roads will change and this was purcahse as the one stop instead of travelling with so much items.

 

[Harry2]

Offline maps: Maps menu 'Make available offline'.

But note, for to use POIs or navigation Google Maps will need a data connection.

Harry

 

[MareLuce]

MareLuce, I haven't created any maps in 'My Maps'.

Harry, could you please save a single PoI to a new map so that you can understand my context?

This would literally take 1 minute. On your PC or Mac, go to maps.google.com, and search for a POI in a city of interest to you. Click on "Save to Map". In a picture, I show this here <---

People traveling with me have created (while logged in to the same gmail account) this collection of POIs for our Christmas vacation. Now we have a great set of POIs for our trip all easily saved to Google Maps! There are not enough minutes available before our trip for me to re-do all that work on my Android.

I think your POIs from 'My Maps' are in 'My Places' too ... and so you could reach your POIs in the same manner as I do ... and then you'd get on the POI's page 'Add as a contacts' at the Maps's menu

This picture <--- shows the only 2 menu options on my Galaxy Notes 2 that I see when I
a) tap on an existing POI in Android Google Maps, My Places, My Maps
b) tap on the ">"
c) tap on the menu button on bottom left

I see 2 menu options: Street View, and Share. No Add to Contacts.

I approach 'My Places' directly by the Maps tab (upper left corner).

Me too. It sounds like the difference is:

- You are searching for Points of Interest STARTING on your Android.
I CAN "Add to Contacts" if I do this.

- However, that is not my problem. I AM trying to tap on Points of Interest ALREADY SAVED TO A MAP by either me or people I'm traveling with, in order to be able to easily call them once we start traveling and I have limited data connectivity.

Do you agree that's the difference between what you are doing and what I'm trying to find an answer for?

Workaround that is a lot more work:
I can manually copy and paste it all from the maps.google.com POIs fields into Microsoft Exchange and then sync.

But finding a way to "Add to Contact" 2 taps on my Galaxy Notes 2 would be infinitely easier. (probably any other solution would be lots easier)

 

[Harry2]

MareLuce, I did a map on PC and see your problem on the phone, yes, no 'Add as a contact' with 'My Maps'.

But I have a short work-around
At the maps of 'My Maps' I have a long press on the POI, but not the label, on that little flag below the label. A new label appears, I tap on it for to open the location page and star the location as one of 'My Places' (tap on the star icon on upper right corner).

Now I find the location on the 'My Places' tabs and can add it to the contacts ...

Hope my description is clear enough

Harry

 

[MareLuce]

At the maps of 'My Maps' I have a long press on the POI, but not the label, on that little flag below the label. A new label appears, I tap on it for to open the location page and star the location as one of 'My Places' (tap on the star icon on upper right corner).

Now I find the location on the 'My Places' tabs and can add it to the contacts ...

This is so close to being the answer !!!

When I tap and hold on the pushpin or flag under the POI name, I see a "Loading address..." message pop up for a half a second.

The only problem is that it doesn't seem to keep the name of the place or the phone number. Just the address. I'd like to have them in contacts in order to phone.

Ex: When I did that for the Prague State Opera, it saved to My Places as the address only, "Wilsonova 4..." without the name Prague State Opera OR , most importantly, the phone number.

----------- workarounds

A great workaround would be if I could take the POIs from my Maps.Google.Com cities and magically make their contact info go into my Gmail's account contacts.

Since I would use the same gmail account on my Galaxy, I'd see them there too, right?

Then I would get my custom notes that I've added about each POI as well.

Thanks Harry so much for your help!

 

[Harry2]

I'm glad that I'd help a little bit

May I ask why you'll need the location as contacts?
Maybe I'd think of another solution

Harry

 

[MareLuce]

Why would I want to save a POI's phone number or location in Contacts?

a) Example: To have the phone number handy when we are exploring a city and want to double-check closing times.

In some places I either
- won't have a data connection
or
- will have already used my data budget


b) Example: To give a taxi driver an address without using data charges

Based on feedback from FlyerTalk.com forum people who travel all the time, I'm pretty sure I will exceed my data budget of ATT ( $120 for 800mb)

 

[Harry2]

Why would I want to save a POI's phone number or location in Contacts?

a) Example: To have the phone number handy when we are exploring a city and want to double-check closing times.

In some places I either
- won't have a data connection
or
- will have already used my data budget


b) Example: To give a taxi driver an address without using data charges

Based on feedback from FlyerTalk.com forum people who travel all the time, I'm pretty sure I will exceed my data budget of ATT ( $120 for 800mb)

Okay, I see

Harry