When it comes to Google Maps routes, most people already know the basics: enter origin, destination, and go. The problem starts when you need several stops in the same day — deliveries, customer visits, pickups. Google Maps lets you add stops, but it does not optimize the order automatically. This guide shows, step by step, how to create a multi-stop route in Google Maps and when it makes sense to replace manual work with an automatic tool like iRota.
How to create a multi-stop route in Google Maps (step by step)
1. Open Google Maps and set the starting point
In the browser or app, tap the directions button (arrow icon). In the first field, enter the start address — your depot, home, or first customer. In the second field, put the first stop of the day.
2. Add extra stops
Click the add destination button (+ icon) to include more stops. On Google Maps web, you can add up to 9 stops beyond the origin. In the mobile app, the limit is similar depending on the version.
3. Organize stop order manually
Here is the critical point: Google Maps does not reorder stops by shortest distance. You must drag and drop each address into the sequence you think is most efficient. With more than 5 or 6 stops, finding the best order by hand becomes trial and error.
4. Check the trip and total time
After organizing, Google Maps shows total distance and estimated time with current traffic. It is worth testing two or three different orders and comparing — on urban routes, the difference between sequences can exceed 30% in mileage.
5. Send the route to the driver's phone
Signed into the same Google account, you can use "Send directions to your phone" and open it directly in the app. Done: the driver navigates stop by stop in the order you built.
Google Maps limitations for delivery operations
- About 9 stops max per route — real operations often exceed that
- Does not reorder stops by shortest distance or time
- Does not consider time windows, customer priority, or vehicle capacity
- Does not distribute stops across multiple drivers or vehicles
- Does not generate an end-of-day report of miles, time, and cost
- Every new route must be rebuilt manually
For 4 or 5 addresses per shift, Google Maps works. Beyond that, time spent building and rebuilding routes in the app becomes a bottleneck — and every stop in the wrong order means extra miles, wasted fuel, and a later customer visit.
When it is worth automating the route
If you or your team run more than 10 stops per day, calculating manually in Google Maps stops being productive. Routing software takes the address list, applies optimization algorithms, and returns the best sequence in seconds — considering real distance, traffic, vehicle count, and service windows.
How iRota solves what Google Maps does not
iRota works with global-grade map and traffic data, but adds the missing layer: automatic multi-stop optimization, multi-driver support, spreadsheet address import, and savings reports per route. Instead of dragging stops in Google Maps guessing the best order, you paste the list, click optimize, and get a ready route — with a link to open in Google Maps on the driver's phone.
- Optimizes dozens of stops in seconds, not hours of trial and error
- Distributes deliveries across multiple vehicles automatically
- Shows how much you saved in miles and time versus the original order
- Shares the route with the driver via link or WhatsApp, opening in Google Maps
- Keeps route history so you can compare performance at month end
Summary: Google Maps multi-stop routes
For small routes, Google Maps does the job — if you are willing to organize the order by hand. For real delivery volume, the math fails: time spent building routes and the cost of wrong stop order quickly outweigh investment in an automatic tool. iRota was built for that transition: it keeps reliable up-to-date maps and traffic and removes the manual work of deciding where to start.
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