Google Maps’ new “community feed” is like a social network for food

Google Maps is getting a bunch of new features this week, so it’s time for a roundup! The first feature is definitely the one no one asked: the new “community feed,” which is clearly trying to turn Google Maps into a social network. Google’s blog post says, “Every day, people submit more than 20 million contributions – including recommendations for their favorite places, updates for business services, new reviews and ratings, photos, answers to other people’s questions, updated addresses and more.” ” So now Google Maps is getting a news feed full of all these reviews and updates.

Google’s sales pitch reads “Feed shows you the latest reviews, photos and posts added to Google Maps by local experts and people you follow, as well as articles from publishers like Eat and Beverage merchants and The Infusion.” All these updates are in the style of social networks, with the author at the top, the ability for the author to “follow” the link and “like” the posts. The only thing missing is the comments!

To show how serious Google is about this Google Maps social network thing, it is putting community feeds front-end-center in its interface. When you open Google Maps, the community feed card looks directly at the top of the screen on the map’s main page. You’ve swiped up to read the latest updates. If you are not on the home page of the map, the community remains under the “Explore” tab in the first tab on the Google Maps tab bar. This also seems like a great place for ads.

Aside from the people you actively follow, it looks like Google Maps will force updates from everyone through “local experts” who hope it won’t be abused. Google assumes that, especially in the beginning, everyone has zero followers, so you have to fill the feed with something. Google also says it will try to figure out your Google Maps interests and fill the feed with recommendations for similar locations. Today these recommendations are in the “Updates” tab, which is still in Google’s new images. Sounds futile.

Building numbers and crosswalks

For less controversial additions, how about building numbers and crosswalks? Android police have found more details to be added to Google Maps in some cities. If you zoom all the way to places like NYC, you’ll see striped crosswalk paint on some roads and small building numbers will tell you where the exact address is. Add another recent detail to this Google Maps: Very nice with traffic lights.

Android Police says this was first seen in the Android Google Maps beta, for which you can sign up here. I’m also seeing it on Google Maps on the web.

The “Go” tab: Google Maps Bookmarks

More tab shenanigans: The “commute” tab of Google Maps (another one) is being converted to the “go” tab, which seems a lot more useful. The trip will only list navigation options for your home and work, but the “Go” tab is more of a general bookmark section. In addition to your home and work, you can also pin frequently visited places on the “Go” tab, and navigate with the tap. It looks like this will also show suggestions, which are usually based on things like your travel and search history.

Google says your pinned destinations will show live-traffic information and accurate ET from the GoTab tab, which feels handy. You can also pin public transport routes, which will show departure and arrival times, an advanced ETA and any service alerts.

Google says “The GoTab will start rolling out to Android and iOS next week.” If you can access these bookmarks from the web, there are no words. Google did not say anything about the social network being on the web. Someone reminded Google that Google Maps has a website.

“Connected Photos” for Street View

Google’s ground-level Street View feature is getting another form of Imagine that is easier to record without special devices. “Connected Photos” is a new feature that more or less mimics the experience of walking the street with a street view but without the hassle of taking a 360-degree photo. You just click the new Street View app, walk down the street (or drive), and some sort of image will be created.

An ARcore-compatible phone for convenience requires Google’s 3D-sensing Augmented Reality Framework. What seems to be happening is that Google is recording video with some 3D positional data, and as you go down the street, the best frames will be saved and converted into a series of static images for street view. These are not 360 images, so you won’t be able to turn on the camera, but you’ll be able to press the front and rear buttons for a virtual walk down the street.

Back when this feature was in testing, it was called “Driving Mode” for Street View. So I guess Google wants you to put the phone in a car mount, fire the app, and let it collect as much data as possible while you’re driving. The blog post shows a photo between a five-lane highway, so it looks like an amateur, a 120 degree street view car is still what Google wants you to do.

“Before this feature, you would need a 360-degree 360-degree camera specifically to capture and publish a Street View image,” says Google’s Blog Post. That is … not accurate. Android, through the PhotoSphere feature, launched in 2012 on Android 4.2, through the Photograph feature, has been able to capture Street View images for years. Google Maps uploads from PhotoFafe have been supported since 2013. Photoshafers full images are 360 ​​images, and taking them to the phone involves avoiding something like 1 something photo. While the wizard takes you on the steps, it takes forever to create one, so Connected Photos is a simple, high-bandwidth way for people to contribute pictures. It looks like this is just an Android feature, and you’ll need a newer version of the Street View app, not just Google Maps.

Image list by Google