How to use Google Maps as a social network

These profiles open up another feature in Google Maps: follow and be followed. The idea is that you might want to follow local experts whose opinions you value on places to go, as well as friends and family. To follow someone in the Google Maps app for Android or iOS, tap their name on a review or rating, then choose To follow.

To see your own followers, use the shortcut mentioned above in the Google Maps app: To contribute, so View your profile. Press the Followers link (which will have a number next to it, even if it’s zero) to see who’s following you. You can also see the people you follow (and no longer follow people if necessary).

To manually approve each new subscriber you get, tap Edit the profile, so Profile and privacy settings from your profile and activate the Restricted profile rocker switch. When your profile is restricted, only your followers will be able to see your reviews and ratings on Google Maps, as well as the list of people you follow.

Use the news feed

If you touch Updates so For you in the Google Maps mobile app, you’ll see a sort of news feed: it picks up updates from the people and businesses you follow, as well as adding updates to nearby places which Google’s algorithms, might interest you (changes to local restaurant menu, for example).

Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of any item in that flow to find options to change some of the ways the flow works. You can specify which areas you’re interested in and don’t, point out which updates suit your tastes and which don’t, and more.

If you touch to open the To explore and bring up the info tab below, you will see a similar list of updates depending on the area you are currently in. We noticed an overlap between the two screens in terms of photos and updates displayed, but if you’re in a new or unusual place that you don’t visit often, the Explore tab is likely to become more useful.

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