What is Google My Maps good at?
My Maps is a general tool for custom maps, and for that it is hard to beat.
- Size and structure. A map can have up to 10 layers and 10,000 places, with up to 2,000 on a layer.
- Rich places. You can add photos and videos to any place, draw lines and shapes, and choose icons and colors.
- Working together. You can share a map by link, make it public, or invite people who can edit it with you.
- Storage. Maps are kept in Google Drive.
Teachers use it for exactly this purpose: one published classroom exercise has students build a "memory map" in Google's map tools, with a marker and a paragraph for each place.
Where is My Maps awkward for memories?
- There is no phone app. Google's help pages state that My Maps isn't available as an app for Android, iPhone or iPad. You can view your maps in the Google Maps app, but creating and editing happens in a web browser.
- There is no date on a place. A memory has a when as well as a where. In My Maps the date has to go in the description, and there is no way to read your places in order as a journal.
- The story sits in a description box. It works, but the tool is designed around the map, and a long piece of writing is a side panel.
- Shared maps can be edited. That is useful for planning. For a parent's life story you may prefer that readers can't change anything.
How is Here My Story different?
| Google My Maps | Here My Story | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Custom maps of any kind | Personal memories at the places they happened |
| Price | Free with a Google Account | Free |
| On a phone | View in the Google Maps app; edit in a browser | Add and read in the phone's browser, with "Use my location" and the camera |
| What a place holds | Title, description, photos and videos | A story, one photo and a date |
| Dates | None built in | A date on every pin, back to 1900 |
| Reading in order | The map and a list of places by layer | The map, or a journal grouped by year |
| Sharing | Link, public, or collaborators who can edit | Email invitation or public link; readers can't edit |
| Layers, lines, shapes, import | Yes | No |
| Several maps | Yes | One map per account |
When should you stay with My Maps?
- You want several people to add places to the same map.
- You want layers, such as one for each decade or each branch of the family.
- You want to draw routes, import a spreadsheet of addresses, or attach videos.
- You already have a large map there and it does what you need.
When does a memory map fit better?
- The stories matter more than the map.
- You want each memory dated, and to read them in order.
- You want to add a memory from your phone while you are standing at the place.
- You want relatives to read without being able to change anything.
Can you move a My Maps map into Here My Story?
Not automatically. Here My Story has no import, so each place has to be added again by hand. For a map of 20 or 30 memories that is an evening's work, and adding a date and a few more sentences to each one as you go is usually worth it. For a map of hundreds of places, My Maps is the better home.
Common questions
Is there an alternative to Google My Maps for personal memories?
Yes. Here My Story is a free personal memory map that runs in the web browser. Each pin holds a story, a photo and a date, the stories can be read as a journal by year, and the people you invite can read your map but can't edit it.
Can you use Google My Maps on a phone?
You can view your maps in the Google Maps app. Google's help pages say My Maps isn't available as an Android or iPhone app, and that creating and editing is done in a web browser.