Google’s social networking efforts in recent years have been unsuccessful among users. Alternatives such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter have led to the closure of Google+, but the company now sees an opportunity to turn one of its most popular applications into a social network. Google Maps now provides users with public personal profiles, which can be tracked just like other popular social services.
Google Maps users now have personal social profiles such as Facebook or Twitter
From now on, Google Maps users will have a profile that can be viewed by others. A follow button appears here to follow what friends or people posting recommendations on Maps post. You can also see all the content they’ve posted on Google maps, from photos of famous places or restaurants you’ve visited, to reviews they’ve posted over time.
This move is based on Local Guides, which allowed users to follow such pages. Now, every user who has a Google Account can have a public profile on Google Maps. However, those who still want to have a private profile can choose to restrict the access of others to their activity on Maps.
Most likely, however, most users, who use Google Maps exclusively to find specific addresses or to navigate, will not interact with this new map component. However, it is interesting to watch how this functionality will evolve in the next period, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As tourism is still limited globally, and many places that could be recommended by the new socializing functions may not be open.
The new functionality in Google Maps should appear in the mobile app following an update in Google Play and the App Store.
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.
