How to Make a Delivery Route on Google Maps from Your Phone

Can you use Google Maps to build a delivery route with multiple stops? Yes, and it only takes a few minutes on your phone.

It’s a handy feature for small businesses that make deliveries, for planning field team visits, and for any trip with more than one destination. In this guide, we walk you through the steps in the app, explain the tool’s limits, and cover what to do as your operation grows.

Step by step: how to make a delivery route on Google Maps

The steps below are for the Google Maps app on your phone (Android or iOS).

Step 1: Open the app and tap “Directions”

Open the Google Maps app and tap Directions.

Two fields appear at the top of the screen: your starting point and your destination.

Step 2: Set your starting point and first stop

By default, the starting point is your current location. To change it, tap Your location and enter the address you want, such as your warehouse or store.

Then tap the destination field and enter the address of your first delivery.

Step 3: Add the rest of your stops

Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose Add stop.

A new field appears below the destination. Enter the next delivery address and repeat for the rest.

Each route supports up to 10 locations: your starting point plus 9 stops. If you have more deliveries, you’ll need to split them across multiple routes.

Step 4: Arrange the order of your stops

Each address gets a letter (A, B, C…) based on the order you added it. To change the sequence, drag a stop to a new position; the map updates automatically. To remove a stop, tap the X next to it.

Note: Google Maps follows the order you set, but it doesn’t work out the best delivery sequence on its own. Grouping nearby stops and starting with the farthest one helps save time and fuel.

Step 5: Review your route

Once you’ve added all your stops, tap Done.

You can review the stop list and the estimated time for each leg, based on real-time traffic.

Step 6: Start navigating

When everything looks right, tap Start to begin your route.

Set up your route before you leave and avoid handling your phone while driving: it’s dangerous and, in most places, against the law.

Tip: Share the route with your team

You can also build the route on a computer, using the Google Maps website, and share it with your drivers via a link or the app’s built-in sharing option.

When Google Maps isn’t enough

The Google Maps app works well for routes with only a few stops. But as your operation grows, its limits start to show:

• 10 locations per route at most, so longer runs have to be split;
• no automatic optimization, so stop order depends on whoever builds the route;
• no fleet view, so you can’t distribute deliveries across multiple vehicles or track them all at once;
• no operating costs, such as tolls and truck restrictions.

At that point, the answer is APIs integrated with your systems. As a Premier Partner for Google Cloud and Google Maps Platform, Maplink Cloud implements the Route Optimization API from Google Maps Platform, which finds the best stop sequence for each vehicle. And Maplink Cloud’s Platform complements it with proprietary logistics APIs such as Planning, Toll, Restriction Zone, and Tracking.

Maplink Cloud has spent more than 25 years bringing together geolocation, cloud, and data intelligence for companies across Latin America. With our Managed Services, we integrate these solutions with your TMS, ERP, or WMS, working alongside your IT team.

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