Testing Cross-Platform Compatibility of Maps Links

Google Maps tips & tricks
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1

Google Maps works on 3 different platforms:

  • Web Maps (using maps through a web browser)

  • Google Maps app on Android devices

  • Google Maps app on IOS/Apple devices

There are at least 5 different types of Maps links:

  • Profile links

  • Place links

  • Review links

  • Photo links

  • Video links

In the past, sharing Maps links between platforms could fail or redirect to the corresponding place link.

It was always super annoying trying to share specific reviews, photos, or videos across different platforms. I’d been meaning to test out which Maps links actually worked between the three platforms for years, so I finally sat down and looked into it this weekend.

And I have some very good news. Keep reading!

I selected 5 Maps links to test and shared them between all 3 platforms.

All links were created using the share icon except for sharing the profile link from Web Maps, where I had to copy the URL and remove everything after the profile ID number.

On Apple, the share icon is a box with an arrow pointing upwards, and on Android it looks like an “<” with 3 dots:

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Screenshot 2026-08-24 at 10.02.31
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Notice how the links are different depending on the platform they are shared from.

To test the 15 links from all 3 platforms, I created a very simple webpage. Feel free to test the 15 links yourself and let me know if you run into any trouble opening them. Please ensure Maps is fully updated on your device before reporting issues.

I first ran the tests while logged in with my Google Account, then ran a second round in incognito mode while signed out.

Results

Screenshot 2026-08-24 at 10.09.56
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Opening the links in a new incognito tab requires an extra confirmation step, plus a prompt to either log in or stay incognito. If you stay in incognito, you will eventually reach the correct profile, place, or contribution.

Conslusion

Great news: every single link works across all three platforms! No idea when they fixed it, but I’m thrilled it finally is.

2

A Fabulous matrix that has all green checks :white_check_mark: @MortenCopenhagen

I, too, have not recently heard about links not working across platforms and modes of hardware.

3

Thank you for sharing these results, @MortenCopenhagen. I’m happy to share that I tested all 15 links a very simple webpage on my MacBook Air (using the Chrome browser), iOS, and Android mobile devices, and I can confirm that the results are perfect.

4

So kind of you. Thanks a million.

5

Thank you for your investigation @MortenCopenhagen.

According to my experience, there are more possibilities:
For reviews and photos, you can share also starting under My Contributions. If you do so in Windows, you can share with other desktop users. But if you share that link with the Android app, even when logged in with your own profile, it brings you to your list of contributions but not to the individual photo/review.

In other words, the link to a particular photo/review looks different depending where create the link.

6

So you mean sharing a review, photo, or video directly from the contribution list will just take you to the list and not the individual contribution? Not even scroll down. And this is an issue only when sharing from Web Maps?

That is another nessesary test to conduct.

It could easily be that my recollection of bad Maps links in the past could be explained by this.

Thanks a bunch.

7

The opposite direction, opening a photo inside your contributions on the mobile app and send the link to the Web browser, does open the correct photo but under the place listing - not under My Contributions.

8

So here is the preliminary list of more links to get tested:

A. Sharing a Photos/Videos contribution list

B. Sharing a Review contribution list

C. Sharing a photo directly from your media contribution list without opening it first

D. Sharing a video directly from your media contribution list without opening it first

E. Sharing a review directly from your review contribution list without opening it first

Can you think of more Maps links to included in the test?

9

In reality there are 4 different possibilities from the contributions list by clicking:

  • share from the 3-dot menu on the thumbnail
  • the thumbnail to enlarge it and then the 3-dot menu of the big display
  • clicking the name of the place to open review (if any) and the last 20 media posted to that place. Below each thumbnail on the lower right is also 3-dot menu from were you can share
  • clicking this thumbnail enlarges it and you have another 3-dot menu from where you can share:
    grafik
    grafik1358×893 383 KB

    All four options mentioned above produce the same link (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vx4THqZrKdodVNYx6)

When looking at the place listing, it depends from where you share:

  • From the “News by visitors” you can share a link from the 3-dot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fp72NuGKm8W6VNsP8)) at the right of your name, but after clicking the photo it produces a different link (https://maps.app.goo.gl/mvR3EwRQST5qLaE99)
  • Opening the gallery and either search your photo under “All” or “Newest” or “By You” all result in a different link.

Now, you can try what you see opening each on a mobile app.

10

That’s indeed wonderful news. With the amount of platforms used by Local Guides varying in each country and region, it’s heartening to see all the different links work in three platforms. Thanks for the detailed analysis @MortenCopenhagen

11

This link takes me to your Maps profile on Android.

On my MacBook Pro I copied this image link and opening it on Android worked.

The link is the same when using the 3-menu link Share and the Share icon top right.

This is way too complicated for me to get to the bottom of this.

Testing 5 links systematically across 3 platforms was a huge undertaking.

Testing maybe 10 more link types and maybe also testing if Windows and MacBooks create different links is too much.

Maybe we need to create a working group to test this systematically, break it down into smaller tasks, or let it fly.

What do you think?

12

I also tried opening your place-related image links on my MacBook, and they work. They show different views. I don’t even have the terminology to describe or name the different views.

13

Your statement describes the bottom line very well @MortenCopenhagen! In other other words, if you share a link with somebody else, it stays a mystery what the other person might see. Several times, I received links supposedly guiding to an address, but in reality, I found only the town …

I would be happy to participate, but as we know from past, Google may change their operations at any time without telling us. So, it is a moving target, what we find out today, may be wrong tomorrow.

As my examples showed, it is not only the platform (desktop vs mobile) which makes a difference, but also where exactly you create the link to be shared.

14

@MortenCopenhagen, it seems to me that Iinks that were correctly made have worked on all the platforms for a while. The issue back when we were having a video connect badge contest with that you could only create a working link using a desktop or lap top computer. Did you create all these links on a desktop? Were you able to create working links on your mobile phone?

15

Yes, I created the links from all three platforms for the test and I also opened them all on all three platforms.

Earlier this did not work. Typically, a link would fall back to only show the place page or the contribution list when shifting platforms.

16

Ich hatte bisher keine Ahnung, dass die geteilten Links Probleme bereiten können. @MortenCopenhagen Ich erstelle die Links immer auf dem Handy und teste sie sofort und dachte, es würde dann überall funktionieren.
Danke fürs Testen und dass es jetzt keine Probleme mehr gibt.

17

Please remember to test links to your contributions from incognito or a friend’s phone as this will tell you if your contributions are hidden or not.