Google Maps on iOS Gains 'Follow' Button So You Can Keep Track of Events and Offers From Local Businesses

[MacRumors]

Google Maps this week updated its iOS app with a new "Follow" feature, letting you keep track of events and news from your favorite local restaurants, bakeries, or bars. You can follow a location by searching for it in Google Maps on iOS, and then tapping "Follow" under the hours of operation.

After you follow a business, all of their updates then appear in the new "For You" tab of Google Maps. In this area, you can keep track of all the notable updates and promotions offered by the various companies you follow in the app.

This is a feature that has been on Google Maps for Android since last fall, and is now just rolling out to Apple device owners. It works in conjunction with Google's revamped My Business app, which also launched last fall, allowing businesses to post updates to their profiles on Google in the same fashion as a Facebook post or Tweet [Direct Link].

Because of this, many users can now turn to Google Maps as a sort of alternative to keeping up with their favorite local spots, if they've turned away from Facebook in recent months. These posts on Google Maps can include notifications about upcoming events, special offers for customers, menu updates, and more.

The Follow button in Google Maps is rolling out to all iOS users starting this week.

Article Link: Google Maps on iOS Gains 'Follow' Button So You Can Keep Track of Events and Offers From Local Businesses

 

[Justanotherfanboy]

Wow!
An advertisement “feature” built into a Maps product; sounds lovely.

/s

 

[coumerelli]

Oh, good thing I read past the title. I immediate thought, that’s cool, just click follow so you don’t lose the person in front of you.

 

[Sasparilla]

This is the place Google is taking maps, not just a map app but a destination app - letting you keep up what is going on at your favorite destinations (and of course getting a cut of things listed through there) as well as finding new (typically local) destinations to go to. I can see this being very, very successful.

Probably a good thing for Apple to copy and offer in their maps product (guessing it would take them years to get here, but they better start) - although maybe buying the declining Yelp (because of what Google etc. is doing here), dropping its mob style advertising push tactics, and making it directly part of Apple Maps might not be a bad start.

 

[freezah]

This is really great future. The question is how often can business owner send notifications to followers. If too often then this will become another source of spam. Hope Google will manage that in some smart way.

 

[mondaiguy]

This is a no-brainer and should have been in version 1.0.

 

[Pow!]

I also see it as a marketing “feature”.

Business already hate having to update their FB pages, do they have to use a Google product to post events or will they be scraped from their FB/Twitter/etc?

 

[KrispE00]

Oh, good thing I read past the title. I immediate thought, that’s cool, just click follow so you don’t lose the person in front of you.

You’re thinking of the “stalk” button...Coming soon!

 

[TheIntruder]

I'm ready for a Google Maps "Lite" that dispenses with all this garbage.

If I wanted Yelp (which has become a cluttered mess of an app also), I'd use Yelp.

Just show me a damned map.