Plus Codes are free, open-source digital addresses that provide simple and precise addresses for any location in the world, including places that lack accurate official addresses. Instead of street names and areas, Plus Codes rely on latitude and longitude, displayed as a short string of numbers and letters that provide accuracy down to the door!
Widespread Adoption of Plus Codes
Since their launch in 2018, we have observed the widespread adoption of Plus Codes by NGOs in India and beyond (including Addressing the Unaddressed, Shelter Associates, and Rural Utah Project) and governments (such as Sub-Saharan Africa) where they meet the needs of millions of people in the realm of addressing. Plus Codes also facilitate business discovery and navigation.
New Feature in Google Maps: Use Your Current Location to Find Your Home’s Plus Code Address
In addition to community-led efforts, we are also committed to empowering users to use Plus Code addresses directly for their daily needs. Today, we are excited to announce the launch of a new feature in Google Maps in India: using your current location to find your home’s Plus Code address.
How to Use the Feature
When saving the “home” location on Google Maps, users in India will see a new option “Use Your Current Location” that uses their phone’s location to generate a Plus Code (if location accuracy meets the minimum thresholds) which they can use as their home address. We have also added a section at the top of the “Saved” tab to make it easier to retrieve, copy, and share these home addresses. The feature is currently available on Android only and will be available soon on iOS.
Steps to Find and Save Your Home’s Plus Code Address in Google Maps
We tested this feature in India a month ago, and we are happy to share that over 300,000 users in India have already found their home addresses using Plus Codes. We look forward to expanding to other types of locations (beyond “home” and “work”), and are actively looking for opportunities to partner with e-commerce companies, logistics services, and parcel delivery to expand this experience to more people around the world.
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