INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A more personalized version of Google Maps is now arriving on iOS
At Google I/O developer conference earlier this year, the company introduced a series of new features designed to help Google Maps users
learn what happening around them, track area businesses to receive updates about their events and promotions, and receive personalized
suggestions of places to visit, dine, and more
The latter now appear in a &For You& tab in the revamped Google Maps app, which first arrived on Androidthis June.
Today, the feature is
rolling out more broadly.
According to Google, the &For You& tab is now making its way to over 130 more countries on Android and is
launching on iOS across 40+ countries.
When switching over to this tab, you&ll see any number of suggestions & from newly opened places to
visit or restaurants to try to new pop-ups & to new menu items at favorite restaurants and restaurant suggestions Google thinks you&d like
It bases these on your personal tastes and preferences it inferred from your use of the Google Maps app, including what sort of businesses
you search and follow.
The &For You& tab can also help you with travel planning, by making suggestions of places before you depart, Google
notes.
To get better recommendations, you&ll want to follow local businesses you like in Google Maps, or even neighborhoods you frequent, to
personalize your suggestions further.
The feature is part of a larger overhaul of Google Maps that aiming to challenge Facebook as the place
where businesses offer updates of their goings-on, news about their sales, events, and other information they want to share with customers &
as well as target potential new customers through ads and being featured in users& recommendations.
In October, Google Maps launched
the&Follow& button for tracking businesses, and last month rolled out a new &Google My Business& app for business owners, so they could more
easily create and publish content to their business profile on Google.
With these products in place & content publication tools and the
ability for users to follow that content & Google is now ready to turn those signals into personalized suggestions
You&ll find it at the bottom of the Google Maps app, where it will show you potential &matches& (and the percentage for the match), plus
news about recent openings, trending spots, and other suggestions.
The company says the &For You& tab is rolling out starting today across
the new markets and on iOS.
