Google is adding a new feed for community discovery to its popular Maps app on Android and iOS. It can be easy for people to become disconnected from their community and especially this year with the constant changes that have taken place within society. With its new community feed, Google is hoping Maps will make it a little easier in the future to find information on many of those local changes.
Google Maps is a versatile mapping service that's useful for route planning, travelling, and finding new activities, stores, and restaurants. Most of the information on Google Maps is generated by its community, who submit more than 20 million contributions daily. With Google acutely aware of how much the local community contributes to the service, it is constantly introducing new ways for users to contribute even more.
The new community feed makes it easier to find updates and recommendations from trusted local users, as well as food and drink merchants. As to be expected with Google, the feed is also tailored to the user's interests. In an example given by Google, if a user shows an interest in healthy food in the Google Maps food and drink preferences, they will see more health food recommendations, photos, and business posts in the community feed. To access the latest feature, simply open the Explore tab within the Google Maps app. Once here, users can hover over an area or community and Google Maps will update the feed with local recommendations on things to do. The feed shows users the latest reviews, photos, and posts added by local experts. Any Google Maps user who has shared photos, reviews, or public lists can also easily be followed through the community feed, and their recommendations, advice, and updates will then show up in the Updates tab.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to greatly impact on local businesses. In areas with strict protocols, local businesses have seen a huge decline in foot traffic, due to customers unable to visit as many stores and restaurants as they might have before. Google Maps has always been a quick way to check photos, reviews, and business hours prior to a journey and Google wants to use the community feed to further help connect businesses with customers by integrating business profiles. For example, local businesses can post about new services, limited time offers, and available outdoor dining for restaurants. Google states the early testing of the community feed found that the posts from businesses were twice as likely to be seen.
The community feed is a great addition to an already useful Google Maps app. While the focus of the community feed is meant to highlight local guides and businesses, it could become an important travel tool even after the pandemic. Tourists want an authentic experience when traveling and having access to local Google Maps recommendations, based on their preferences, is likely to dramatically shorten trip planning.
Source: Google
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