Google has announced several new features to improve content recommendations when planning your trip using Google Maps. When you search for a new city, you'll see a recommended list of places to go, created by the Maps community's memories and top sites.
In addition, Google Maps curates restaurant listings titled Trending, Top, and Hidden Gem based on the public's interest in the area. In their own words, Google explained:
The trending list is updated weekly and shows places on the map that have recently spiked in popularity. Great for finding the latest hotspots.
Top lists feature locations that the map community consistently loves. Come here to find proven favorites in the area that have been around for years.
The Gem List includes potentially the most secret locations in the area. There are great restaurants there that you don't know about yet.
Starting this week, these listings will appear in more than 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Google will start highlighting the best listings from the Maps community in the coming months. Speaking of community-sourced content, Google recently announced that it will remove more than 170 million fake reviews from Search and Maps in 2023.
The search giant has announced that it's sprinkling more AI into Maps, using AI to help you see important information at a glance when searching for places.
Powered by Google's AI that identifies important insights from the Maps community, you can now see locations and their highlights at a glance. Select a location on Maps to see photos and reviews of what people love about that place, like the restaurant's famous tacos or the bar's laid-back atmosphere.
Google is already experimenting with generative AI features that can input text prompts to find new destinations. Google announced last month that the feature would only be available to a limited number of testers.
Google will allow you to further customize your lists, allowing you to sort the places you add to your list and link social content, such as reviews, to list items. These features will be rolled out globally for Android and iOS later this month.
After changing the color scheme of Google Maps, the company said it is working on further design changes, including a cleaner home screen with fewer tabs and new pin colors.
