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Google introduces a new service within its platform that helps users to know the latest updates in the city where they live, such as the opening of new restaurants and changes in service hours.
Google Maps launched its news roundup to compete with Facebook, and the new feature is named “Community Feed” because it includes posts from a local area.
The posts are organized like any other news source as it is a vertically scrolling source with posts that you can like by clicking the Like icon.
The feature, found in the app’s “Explore” tab, collects the latest comments, photos, and posts that local experts send to Google Maps, as well as people they know.
The feed is designed to make it easy to find the latest news, updates, and recommendations from trusted local sources.
Google Says: The focus of the launch will be on highlighting posts from food and beverage companies.
Also, if you follow a nearby store or restaurant, you will receive updates from them through the feed, and according to Google, the feature helped local businesses better communicate with their customers.
The company said: We saw in the initial community feed test that merchant posts got more than twice as many views as before the feed was available.
“Now more people can know that a local business offers a new service or has outdoor seating,” he added.
Much of the information in the feed was available elsewhere on Google Maps prior to today’s launch.
The “Google Map Updates” tab provides a similar summary of business posts with news, recommendations, stories, and other features designed to encourage discovery.
The Explore tab grouped businesses into groups, such as cookouts, at the top of the screen, and allowed users to navigate other menus and view photos of the area.
Google may consider adding video posts in the future, given the current popularity of short videos like TikTok, which was copied by Instagram and Snapchat.
Google hopes the change will encourage users to visit the app more often to see what’s happening in their area, be it a new business post or a review from another user detailing some fun local activities.
The feature can also be used when you travel or search other areas, as the community feed you see does not depend on where you live or your current location, but rather on where you are looking on the map.
