After initially previewing the update at its I/O developer conference, Google has begun to roll out some of its new features for Google Maps, including an array of settings that revolve around personalized recommendations.
Two new tabs can be found on the Google Maps homescreen – “Explore” and “For You” – which give you a rundown of places such as restaurants, venues and landmarks based on your location and previous activity.
While the Explore tab takes into account your current location and time of day in order to offer up personalized suggestions, the For You tab takes a look at the areas you frequent. This latter tab also keeps you in the loop about restaurants opening up and other popular, trending places in the area.
Where should we eat?
Under the Explore tab, you’ll be able to filter through curated lists with categories such as coffee and attractions, while Google is making use of its vast swathes of user data to compile recommendations of “healthy takeout”, “cheap eats”, “where the locals eat”, and more.
If you’re chasing down the top 10 burger joints in an area, Google Maps will now keep track of your progress and let you know you’ve been to four of them already, showing you which ones you still need to visit.
If you already have location history enabled, the app will now be able to give you a percentage score (or “Your Match”) on just how likely you are to enjoy a place based on your previously visited places.
Google Maps’ latest feature-set has already begun to roll out to users around the globe and will continue to do so over the coming weeks, but the For You tab is currently only for users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
