Google Maps 9.22 lets users give nicknames to places, assign sticker icons to home/work

An update rolling out to Google Maps on Android allows users to label any location with a nickname for easier search and lets users add a whimsical sticker icon to represent their home and work addresses.

Version 9.22 of Maps adds a new ‘choose an icon’ setting on place cards for your home and work address. There are 25 different icons to choose from for the home address and 13 for work. Users can get rid of the sticker at any time. While only home and work addresses can be assigned an icon, there is a new feature that allows users to label frequently visited locations.

In the overflow menu of a place card, there is now an ‘Add label’ button that allows users to give any place a nickname. The name can be used instead of the place’s actual name when searching in Maps. In ‘Your places’, there is now a new ‘labeled’ tab that shows home, work, and other things that have been labeled along with an option to delete them.

Google likely wants more users to add their home and work addresses so Maps can offer relevant smart suggestions, like traffic conditions and best routes. A previous Google Maps update added a smart Driving Mode that suggests ETAs and traffic updates for preset home, work, and recently searched for destinations. Presumably, the mode will soon take into account labeled places.

The update is rolling out now on Android and iOS users will presumably also get this feature in a future update.