When you’re in a new place, your first question is likely: What’s good here? That’s why we recently redesigned the Places homescreen on Google Maps for Android to include “In This Area,” a list of the most common types of places around you.
Along with the more general searches — for things like restaurants and cafés — you can also click on the “In This Area” keywords and use them to search for places nearby. Here’s just some of the stuff you’ll find if you access the Places app in one of the following cities (or use the pulldown at the top to choose a location):
We also improved the search interface to provide you with better, more relevant refinements. Clicking on “japanese restaurant” will show you the best Japanese restaurants around you, but you’re also given suggestions for more specific searches like “sushi”, “ramen” or “yakitori.”
These refinement suggestions are also specific to your location. If you search for “bars in the East Village” after your delicious Japanese dinner, we’ll suggest “hookah bars” — one of the specialties of this New York City neighborhood.
Note that these features are available in the U.S. and in English only for now.
What types of places are you discovering as you travel to new neighborhoods? Share with us in the comments.
Posted by Gergo Varady, Software Engineer