If you’ve ever searched for a venue on Google like a cafe or restaurant, the restaurant’s information will be pulled up in the search listings and will tell you information like opening and closing times, its phone number, reviews, and also shows you how popular a place is on the day itself.
This “Popular Times” feature is not a new one on the web, but for iOS users who use Google Maps, it is a feature that has been missing. The good news is that if you’re an iOS user who relies on Google Maps quite a bit, you’ll be pleased to learn that in the latest update to the app, Google has introduced the “Popular Times” feature to it.
The changelog reads, “See how crowded a place is in real-time and the average time people spend there for easy decision making”. The feature itself isn’t any different from the version on the web, so in reality it’s just that it was finally brought over to the Google Maps app for iOS, but it’s still a very much welcome one.
Note that the feature shows real-time popularity which is something that Google introduced recently. In the past it would show popularity based on business in the past, which might not necessarily be accurate if there are holidays, so this should help provide more accurate information. The latest version of Google Maps for iOS can be found on the iTunes App Store.
Filed in . Read more about Apps, Google, Google Maps and iOS.