Select platform: [Android](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-sdk/intents.md.txt "View this page for the Android platform docs.") [iOS](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/urlscheme.md.txt "View this page for the iOS platform docs.")

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You have a couple of options available to launch Google Maps.
Follow the links below to learn more.

[Maps URLs](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/urls/guide) (recommended)

:   Using Maps URLs, you can build a universal, cross-platform
    URL to launch Google Maps and perform searches, get directions and
    navigation, and display map views and panoramic images. These universal
    URLs allow for broader handling of the maps requests no matter which
    platform the user is on.

[Google Maps Intents for Android](https://developer.android.com/guide/components/google-maps-intents)

:   Using intents in your Android app, you can start an activity in another
    app by describing a simple action you'd like to perform (such as "display
    a map" or "show directions to the airport") in an `Intent` object.
    The Google Maps app for Android supports several different intents, allowing
    you to launch the Google Maps app in display, search, navigation,
    or Street View modes.

If you want to embed a map in your app, please refer to the
Maps SDK for Android [guide to getting started](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-sdk/start.md.txt).