This App Inventor tutorial shows you how to access Google Maps.

What You’ll Learn in this App Inventor Step-by-Step Tutorial:

• Activity Starter to Launch a Google Map
• Maps Action, Activity Class and Activity Package Codes
• Adding a Button to Launch the Map
• How to Add the Blocks

You can watch the video tutorial on how to access Google Maps here.

Part 1: Adding the Components

** This tutorial is part of a larger app. The components that have been placed in the components viewer consist of:

• Image component
• Table arrangment (2 columns and 2 rows)
• Four buttons (the maps button is in the bottom right slot)

1. Add a button and activity starter you’ll use to access Google maps

• Add a button to the bottom right slot (from the Basic drawer)
• Rename the button “Map Our Location”
• Change the font size to 20
• Rename the button component “MapsButton”
• Add an activity starter (from the Other Stuff drawer)
• Rename the activity starter component “MapsActivityStarter”
• In the Action box in the properties section of the activity starter, enter the code: android.intent.action.VIEW
• In the Activity Class box, enter: com.google.android.maps.MapsActivity
• In the Activity Package box, enter: com.google.android.apps.maps

Click the image to enlarge

Part 2: Adding the Blocks

1. Adding the Maps Button and Activity Starter Blocks

• From MapButton, add a MapButton.Clock block
• From MapActivityStarter, add a MapActivityStarter.DataURI block (image below has wrong label)
• Insert inside the MapButton.Click block
• From MapActivityStarter, add a MapActivityStarter.StartActivity block
• Place the block below the previous one

2. Adding the Maps Text Block and Google Maps URL:

In the video tutorial, I explain how to get the correct Google Maps URL.

• Access the Built-In tab
• Access the Text drawer
• Add a Text block
• Insert the Text block in the MapActivityStarter.DataURI block
• Copy and paste the Google Maps URL into the Text block text area