Google Maps app redesigned, gets new Explore' and For You' tabs

At Google I/O this year, Google Maps got some new ways to explore any city/location by helping users find the spots to eat, drink and navigate accordingly. Google is now rolling out many of those features to users globally.

(Photo: Google)

Google has redesigned the Explore tab that will now give users quick recommendations for restaurants, bars, and cafes in an area that users are interested in. The suggestions are based on the trending lists from local experts and Google’s algorithms. On Android, users can keep track of their progress against the restaurants featured in the trending lists. The Explore tab now surfaces the top events and activities happening in the area. Users can see photos, descriptions and filter by categories like “good for kids,” “cheap” or “indoor or outdoor”.

If the user has his/her location history turned on, each restaurant features “Your match” – a numeric rating that helps users tell how likely they are going to enjoy the place according to their preferences, this idea is to save the users' time by scrolling down the reviews for selecting a restaurant/bar.

The new Settings on the Google Maps will now allow users to select their food and drink preferences to get better recommendations while searching. And lastly, there’s a new “For you” tab, which will let users know about everything happening in areas like nearby the user’s home, work, or a city that they visit frequently. For instance, if a user selects to follow a neighbourhood then the ‘For You’ tab instantly gives them suggestions about any new restaurants or cafes, that will eventually match user’s taste (as set in the settings of the app) or any new favourite dining spots that are appeared in the news recently.

The ‘For you’ tab is now available on Android in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Users need to update their Google Maps app from App Store and Play Store to get these new features.