Google Maps iOS Update Adds Live Location Data to 'Popular Times' Feature

[MacRumors]

Google updated its Maps app for iOS today to include the live crowd-tracking feature that's been popular with users of its Maps web service for some time.

While the maps app has had day-by-day, hour-by-hour charts that display when a business or retail location tends to be at its busiest, version 4.27 of the app augments that information with live data to tell users how busy the location is in real time.

Called Popular Times, the feature works by crowd-sourcing anonymized location data from other Google users and also feeds in Google searches to analyze how busy a location is at any given moment. Alongside the live results, the feature also lets users know the average time people spend at a location.

The iOS update also adds support for quick access to addresses copied to a user's clipboard. So when searching in the app, users are now given the option to fill in the search bar with an address copied from an email or other app.

Google Maps is a free download on the Apps Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Maps iOS Update Adds Live Location Data to 'Popular Times' Feature

 

[djcerla]

Two weeks ago I gave Google Maps another try, as I was looking for a bar and thought it would have worked better than Apple Maps for that task.

I found myself in a small country road, in the middle of nowhere, with the app at one point stuck on some words Max Headroom style. Never again.

 

[Frizers]

I'm curious as to how this works. Does it get its information from people actually running google maps, or does everyone who has google maps installed, but not necessarily running, get tracked and included in this data?

 

[ck2875]

I'm curious as to how this works. Does it get its information from people actually running google maps, or does everyone who has google maps installed, but not necessarily running, get tracked and included in this data?

I think it pulls in location data from any Google app with location tracking enabled and the location privacy set to "always". So Google, Keep, Gboard, Google+, etc would also get thrown into the mix for providing them with your location. Also likely using a lot of GPS data from Android devices.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Constantly tracking my location isn't creepy at all.

 

[CheesePuff]

Constantly tracking my location isn't creepy at all.

Then don't go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Frequent Locations

 

[69Mustang]

Constantly tracking my location isn't creepy at all.

I know right. If only there was a way to disable location tracking.

 

[dominiongamma]

I know right. If only there was a way to disable location tracking.

You can.

 

[69Mustang]

You can.

Poe's Law proven.

 

[dominiongamma]

Poe's Law proven.

Thought it was common knowledge by now how to disable location tracking on iOS

 

[69Mustang]

Thought it was common knowledge by now how to disable location tracking on iOS

It is common knowledge, hence my sarcastic quote to Scottsoapbox. The Poe's Law reference is about you missing the sarcasm in my comment because it didn't contain any emojis.

You and I were essentially saying the same thing just in different ways.

 

[avanpelt]

Constantly tracking my location isn't creepy at all.

If you don't want your location to be constantly tracked, you shouldn't use a cell phone at all. By virtue of the fact that you have any cell phone on your person that's turned on and connected to a cell network, someone, somewhere is able to track your current location and also track where you've been.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Constantly tracking my location isn't creepy at all.

Don't be a stalking bigot.

 

[_mdavenport]

A welcome addition to the iOS app.

Now if Google could add the "typical traffic" feature from their web app to the iOS app, that would be amazing. Such a useful feature, it confuses me why it's not in the iOS app - unless it is and I don't know how to find it? Anyone know about this?

 

[campyguy]

I'm curious as to how this works. Does it get its information from people actually running google maps, or does everyone who has google maps installed, but not necessarily running, get tracked and included in this data?

https://support.google.com/business/answer/6263531?hl=en

I'm opening a retail location late summer/early fall and wondered that very thought - there's a fairly simplistic post by Google on their Business site. There's more in that post, the relevant language follows:

About visit data
To determine popular times and visit duration, Google uses aggregated and anonymized data from users who have opted in to Google Location History. Popular times and visit duration are shown for your business if it gets enough visits from these users. You can’t manually add this information to your location, and you may not see it if Google doesn’t have sufficient visit data for your business.