Google Maps Gets A Community Feed With Local Content And Reviews

Google Maps has received a new community feed located in the app's Explore tab, making it easier for users to check out what's going on in their city, browse the latest reviews, see posts and photos from other users, and more. Google says the community feed will also include articles from publishers and posts from merchants.

Google has slowly transitioned its Maps product into a social platform that includes a navigation tool. Users already had the ability to search for specific types of places, such as restaurants and gas stations, as well as features for reading reviews, following local experts, and more.

The latest update brings a proper community feed where this content can be browsed the same way one may browse through a Twitter feed or Reddit. Users merely tap the Explore tab and then swipe up to retrieve the feed. You'll see posts from the people you follow, among others.

Google provides some examples of how the feed can be used, stating that one may see updates from a local restaurant that announces their new dishes; a bar may post updates about changes in hours; users may post about a park that just opened or a fun place to check out on a warm day.

Users will see content that is, according to Google, tailored to suit their own interests. Users can set their preferences in the Google Maps app to improve the personalization feature, such as setting drink and food preferences. The feature is rolling out globally on mobile.