Google Maps gets a major upgrade just in time for the summer holidays

Google Maps gets a major upgrade just in time for the summer holidays

Are you planning an outing this summer, Google has announced several new features in Google Maps intended to help you plan your trip and figure out what to do when you get there.

These features draw on both the collective experience of Google Maps users and curated lists from reputable sites to provide suggestions for must-see places and hidden gems

In addition, Circle to Search is also gaining new features and will be Deployment. Click here to see what will be added to Google Maps on your phone.

Three new recommendation lists that will roll out to Google Maps will appear when you launch the app and select a specific city. The Trending list shows spots that have recently surged in popularity and is updated weekly. The top list shows places that are consistently ranked high by Google Maps users, and the gems list shows places on the rise that have not yet been featured by people found on the popular places list.

These lists use data from Google Maps users as well as information from professional sites such as the New York Times 36 Hours, Lonely Planet, and Infatuation. Once you find a list you like, you can save it and share it with friends.

These listings will be initially available in 40 cities in the US and Canada, including New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and San Francisco.

Google Maps already allows you to create lists of places you have saved, but will add some new tools to help you better organize them. An update rolling out globally to both Android and iOS devices this month will allow users to change the order in which these locations appear in the list.

Additionally, you will be able to add links from your social media accounts so if you had a particularly great meal at a restaurant, you can add it to remind you why that restaurant is on the first list.

Circle to Search, introduced in January, allows Google Pixel 7, Google Pixel 8, and Samsung Galaxy S24 users to draw a circle around an item in a photo and Google's AI will identify the object and perform a search to it is.

In the coming weeks, new features will be added to Circle to Search, allowing it to translate text in languages it does not understand, such as menus and signs. [Including Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series.

Google has incorporated much of its AI into the map to help provide a concise summary of a particular location; from comments from the Google Maps community, photos showing major attractions in the area, what people like, popular dining spots, landmarks and more are displayed. If you are looking at a restaurant, the AI identifies the user's food photo on the map so it knows what the dish is called and whether it is to your palate.

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is also gaining the ability to help you plan an itinerary, such as "plan a 5-day wine-filled trip to San Francisco." Here's more: Google's latest AI tool helps you plan your next vacation.

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