Google Maps will soon give you better recommendations

https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/08/google-maps-will-soon-give-you-better-recommendations/

by rajs123 • 8 years ago

79 89 8 years ago

techcrunch.com

danShumway• 8 years ago

"Google will soon launch a new version of Google Maps that will give you more personalized recommendations"

I've used enough of Google's products by now to know that the word "better" in this title is probably inaccurate. :)

jerzyt• 8 years ago

It is going to be "better." For Google.

gboudrias• 8 years ago

I'm looking forward to the momentum this will give OpenStreetMap through the sheer annoyance at Google.

But I sure wish Google would stop trying to read my mind and just do what I tell it to. Guess the descent is inevitable, since we're the commodity we have to fight with the service, explicitly or implicitly. But oh how I yearn for the days of old when they pretended to be nice.

joncrane• 8 years ago

Two things:

1) I generally don't want to do what everyone else in a given area is doing. I prefer the off-the-beaten-path stuff. Will Google know this?

2) Will Google monetize the inclusion in the "local hot spot tonight" recommendations?

theDoug• 8 years ago

I don't have details on this, but I can't imagine it'd be less personalized for your off-the-beaten-path stuff than it is now, where we get the same as everyone else.

gagege• 8 years ago

Yes. The kind of recommendations I want are things like: "Go for a walk in this park you've never been to. There are benches to read on." and "Go for a bike ride on this route. You'll see parts of the city you'd normally never see."

lukeqsee2• 8 years ago

I'm not sure I want my map to be giving me recommendations. I'm definitely not certain I want my map to be able to give me better recommendations because of how much data that company has on me.

I guess all the more reason to continue using Apple Maps.

toomuchtodo2• 8 years ago

I guess all the more reason to continue using Apple Maps.

It is unfortunate that OpenStreetMap doesn't have the resources to create mapping apps at parity with Google Maps. I just want a map app. Not a recommendation app. Not FourSquare. Just comprehensive maps, routing, and possibly traffic data. OSM, please take my money for this!

The only way for us to receive long term value from digital tooling is through participation, resource contribution, and stewardship of organizations that can protect these projects (Similar to how Signal received a very large cash contribution for ongoing support, or how OSM and other renowned open source projects have official organizations formed, elected governance, etc).

kop316• 8 years ago

I finally decided I wanted to use OSM as my main app, and what I have been doing is adding things to it when I see it doesn't have it. That way it can slowly get better, and have what I need with it. I have actually found that if I can't find something on it, I can use Duckduckgo to find what I need, then it can open it on OSM and I can mark it.

solarkraft2• 8 years ago

This should not be all that difficult to do. We have the open map data (OSM) and Valhalla for routing. There are tons of online OSM viewers, so I would guess it to be possible on a phone.

pronik• 8 years ago

maps.me (https://maps.me/download/) might be just what you are looking for. Maps, routing and traffic, mostly usable mobile app.

edgarvaldes• 8 years ago

Mmm. Is it the end of the cartographic value of Google Maps? I mean, I want an accurate, up to date and objective map. I don't want recommendations, except when I ask for them.

DavideNL• 8 years ago

If your just looking for routes/traffic, perhaps try "Waze" - also owned by Google. It has maps/routes without all the other bloat like recommendations.

thinkingemote• 8 years ago

The implication is that as a company you will eventually pay google to rank higher in the recommendation listings. Listings are advertising.

ct0• 8 years ago

"better" - determined by who?

romanovcode• 8 years ago

Ad buyers

leeoniya4• 8 years ago

instead, how about giving me directions that dont involve 20 turns down tiny residential streets with 10 stop signs to travel 2 miles. when it can be done with 1 turn on 2 major roads with 2 traffic lights and an extra 0.1 mile? or multi-point routes on mobile? or a maps app UI that doesnt obstruct 60% of the actual map?

so many google products seem to reach EOL at "good enough". see also: Gmail, etc.

puzzle3• 8 years ago

Are you sure that's not Waze? Google Maps is deliberately a lot like the latter, even if both products are from the same company. Maybe there is something in the road network (e.g. a segment with bad information) along the route you are thinking of that results in what you describe.

leeoniya4• 8 years ago

i have never used waze. google prefers to minimize distance rather than minimizing route complexity (for some minimal distance or time cost). my wife and i have an ongoing joke that google takes you on the most "scenic" drives through the most obscure neighborhoods.

anothergoogler2• 8 years ago

How about excluding unpaved trails from bicycle directions? I've been screwed by that too many times. A gravel trail is not a bike route, for most bikes anyway.

leeoniya4• 8 years ago

the data quality is probably not there for this to be too reliable. a lot of bike trails/paths are just plain missing.

magduf6• 8 years ago

Here's my suggestion for Google Maps: how about handling toll roads better? It's all-or-nothing. Why not put a little gray box saying "20 minutes shorter, $1.50", or "1 minute shorter, $29.50"? If you turn on toll roads, it'll happily always route you on a toll road or toll lane, even if it isn't any faster. And here in DC, toll roads can easily cost you $30-50 per trip.

Maps already gives you route options to choose from, both when you first start, and during your drive; why can't they do this with toll roads? Are they secretly working with EZ-Pass?

r00fus• 8 years ago

I have requested and gotten added several bike paths (all paved) to Google Maps so it would route properly through a park, so it might be someone with an mountain bike who requested Google to add it?

baby_wipe• 8 years ago

I would prefer a faster bootup time and search field that doesn't lag for 3 seconds before bringing up the keyboard.

Maybe it's because I'm using an iPhone 5S but it would still be nice.

icelancer• 8 years ago

> Maybe it's because I'm using an iPhone 5S

It's not.

danvayn• 8 years ago

It definitely could be. Apple literally admitted to slowing down older generation iPhones. I don't know how you can really consider it a non-factor.

Ajedi32• 8 years ago

I don't know. Just tried it on my OG Pixel. Maps loaded in about a second, and the search field activated instantly when I tapped it. So... maybe it is? Or maybe the Maps app on iOS is just slow?

tnorthcutt• 8 years ago

https://i.imgur.com/k2k7SD0.jpg

hkmurakami2• 8 years ago

idk about recommendations, but I've started using Google Maps more than Yelp for calling restaurants and sharing addresses with friends because Yelp takes way too long to boot up compared to Google Maps.

Speed matters!

maaaats• 8 years ago

Never thought Gmaps was considered fast.

When I open it on a new, top shelf Android, it takes a few seconds to boot. And it boots directly into whatever I searched a few days ago. Then I have to click back, wait for it to not lag, back again, repeat. Then finally I can search. Most often I click back and close it...

hkmurakami2• 8 years ago

Just tested on my iPhons 6S+. Maps took about 2.5 seconds to boot, 1 second to load search predictions, then showed exacty results instantly after I chose the search term.

Yelp took about a second longer on each step, with worse search predictions with partial string input, making me spend more time typing. Also the text is harder to read and the search box is harder to activate. So UX seems to also be a factor adding human lag time to the equation.

Maps isn't instant but it's the better of two nonideal options.

niroze3• 8 years ago

Anyone still use Maps in the car? I use Waze.

s0rce• 8 years ago

Yes, only use maps since Waze will redirect you onto surface streets to save an insignificant amount of time with a large amount of inconvenience.

magduf6• 8 years ago

Yes. I've tried Waze, and the only advantage it has is showing where cops are (which isn't very reliable, the data is frequently out of date and it shows cops where there aren't any, or doesn't show ones that set up their speed trap recently or are on a rural road).

Google Maps will show you alternative routes as you drive, telling you how much extra time they'll take (or save). Waze does not do this, it only shows you one route. I frequently want to take a slightly different route than the one shown, perhaps because I'm coming to a stoplight and it shows the alternate route of turning right to be "similar ETA", and by turning right I can avoid spending 1-3 minutes at the light.

Basically, Waze is just too minimalist. I want more information, not less.

redcomplier2• 8 years ago

Waze and Google Maps are the same team run by the same management.

niroze3• 8 years ago

we know. but they are vastly different.

nathan_long• 8 years ago

“Today, our users aren’t just asking for the fastest route to a place but also what’s happening around them, what the new places are and what the locals are doing in their neighborhood,” Google VP for engineering and product management Jen Fitzpatrick noted in today’s keynote.

Are users really asking for this? I only ever use Google Maps for driving directions. I like that I can type the name of a place and it finds matches near me, but that's all the personalization I've ever wanted.

assblaster• 8 years ago

I use Maps as a gateway to new areas. If I can't see new places automatically, if I'm not notified, if I'm not otherwise aware of new places, how am I going to come across them?

kovek2• 8 years ago

I think asking locals can be one solution. If not, check out a blog of the city you are visiting, they might publish new places there.

kovek2• 8 years ago

I've searched "Food near me" at least once a week this past semester. I wish I could do something like "tampon near me" to be able to find a business that sells tampons near me for example

mikestew• 8 years ago

Both Google and Apple have several recommendations for me in Bellevue, WA, including the closest likely suspect, the Chevron gas station down the street. I assume you've tried this and had less successful results?

kentosi• 8 years ago

Yes, I do. I use it a lot to find restaurants. Say I search for "Turkish Restaurant", I'm presented with a map with locations nearby, allowing me to click on each of them and check opening hours, the website, reviews, etc.

It's an awesome tool to discover things in a neighbourhood.

51Cards• 8 years ago

I travel for work a lot, often to new places, and Google Maps is my go to for restaurants almost nightly when on the road. Just in the last week Maps helped me find 2 new favorites in Flushing, NY.

Raed667• 8 years ago

I use it almost daily to recommand coffee shops or places to go to. It's not always the best at this task but it's quite good.

sirmarksalot• 8 years ago

While we're at it, I hate when you click on a search result hoping to see the location, but instead it covers up your entire screen with pictures of food.

TheCapn• 8 years ago

All the responses are talking about finding places to eat but I think Google still has a little ways to go in their recommendation / AI engine that they keep toting out in marketing events.

Take for instance my silly effort to get the assistant to help me out while I was driving on the highway a few weeks ago and had an emergency suddenly crawl up on me: https://imgur.com/v2Y1hsC

I didn't really expect that to work, but it would've been nice if it could've pulled up the closest business with a public washroom... I know Google maps is always asking me questions on that type of stuff.

Or the time where I hit the road towards a blizzard last winter and I asked Google to tell me what the highway conditions were like and I got some search recommendation for road conditions in a different country.

Maybe improvements to "recommendations" in general can solve these other problems that I figure are very navigation-centric in nature.

trevor-e• 8 years ago

Sorry, but this is a very unimaginative comment. Yes, people use the app differently than you. For me, this would be extremely helpful while traveling. Right now I piece together the information I want from various travel/restaurant apps.

DanBC• 8 years ago

I use Google maps to get directions - usually for public transit. And then I use it to tell me where a coffee shop is at my destination.

When I'm on the bus I use Google Maps to tell me how close I am to the destination bus stop. It's not great for this. You have to really zoom the map in to get the bus stops to display. And the GPS positioning isn't great - often it'll show me travelling through the middle of a field rather than the road I'm on.

niroze3• 8 years ago

I can't remember the last time I depended on Google Maps for directions.

chrissnell2• 8 years ago

The feature I want can be found in Microsoft's MapPoint for DOS back in 1993: the option to plot the shortest route based on distance. I drive a slow, old truck that tops out at about 60 on flat roads and I prefer to avoid interstates and to take the shortest mileage route, since the lower speed limits of small roads are rarely applicable to me. On a drive from the Midwest out to the western deserts, 150 miles makes a big difference.

shawn• 8 years ago

I've wanted this too after my wagon's struts went out. Not highway safe.

magduf6• 8 years ago

Google Maps (and in fact just about every nav program) has an option for "no highways". That'll probably be better for your objective than just plotting the shortest route, which may very well follow a highway at some point since highways frequently are more direct.

chrissnell2• 8 years ago

Yes, I use this option frequently, but it's still not always the shortest. For instance, here in Kansas, it will avoid interstates but route you on U.S. highways, even though there are more direct state and county roads. I want to see the very shortest route and make that decision for myself.

simoneau• 8 years ago

Choosing walking directions comes pretty close to meeting this use case.

davidw2• 8 years ago

It'd be nice if it stopped harassing me to leave reviews and pictures for every place I stop these days.

efm• 8 years ago

You can turn that off. Maps: Settings: Your contributions

davidw2• 8 years ago

I don't mind it, occasionally, but lately it seems like every single thing...

redcomplier2• 8 years ago

Your definition of harassment seems to be one most people wouldn't agree with. There are setting to turn this off. Another solution is to go to a competitor like Apple or Bing Maps.

magdadc3• 8 years ago

Hi everyone! Less than happy to read this news, as my husband and I have been working on a similar solution for some time now. We've created an app https://maplog.it/ which allows you to create different lists, share them with others and give you better recommendations for places to go out. We are currently working on an iOS and Android apps. Do you think it makes any sense to continue or should we just drop the idea? Would love to hear what you think!

lukeqsee2• 8 years ago

Hey magdadc,

I founded a company competing with Google Maps on another level (map tiles & other geoservices), and I think it's super important to have competition in the mapping space (just look at how much it costs if you want to use Google's data anywhere!).

Your site looks super polished. Keep up the good work!

One thing I don't particularly like is having to sign in to see a map of things nearby. I'd love a main view that shows me just the map with interesting places marked as pins. (E.g., "Places Near Me" takes me to a signup page, which immediately turns me off.)

Best of luck!

magdadc3• 8 years ago

Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement! Good point on 'nearby' being locked. All the best luck to you as well!

mseebach3• 8 years ago

Actually making good, meaningful recommendations isn't a solved problem. Google has mass, and anything with more than ~4 stars generally isn't going to be awful, but it's a blunt instrument. Searching just slightly more specifically than that and the wheels come off.

I don't immediately see how your app solves the problem, it seems there are some lists of things, but it's an unqualified jumble. I am looking at the best bars in London list, and pretty much all my favourites are on there, but Gordon's, Duke's, Termini and Calooh Callay are very different places for different occasions (and, especially in the case of Duke's, different budgets), and there is nothing to help me decide.

Finding a bar, even a relatively good one, in London isn't a valuable problem, IMO, and certainly not one Google isn't going to beat you at -- finding a bar like Duke's in, say, Zürich is (for the particular subjective value of 'like' that I have in mind). A list of "that kind of bars" with a few options in every city might be a good answer, but I don't envy you the challenge of curating that sort of thing at scale.

magdadc3• 8 years ago

Thanks for the feedback! Agreed - for us using Google stars or tripadvisor ratings was useless in finding new places, as it's an average of thousands of people's opinions, who have different tastes and priorities.

Our stab at making finding places easier is to let people share their favourite places with friends (via lists) - you might not trust Google's bar recommendations, but you would trust your friend who goes out a lot and has a similar taste.

gregmac• 8 years ago

Largely via Android Auto, I've had mixed experiences with Google Maps recommendations in the past.

What I really want it to do is look at my calendar, and if I have something scheduled soon with a location attached, suggest providing navigation to that. This has worked sometimes, but it's completely not reliable as it sometimes simply doesn't do it.

What I really don't want it to do is blindly suggest navigating to locations I've previously been to. The last couple times I went to the dentist (something I do approximately twice a year) it's asked if I want to navigate there every day for the following week.

The only thing I've found (mostly) reliable about it is if I get in my car at the end of the day, the navigation suggestion is 'home', and in the morning, it's 'work'.

colanderman• 8 years ago

Honestly I'd appreciate it if Maps stopped giving recommendations. They always pop up whenever I open the app, and I never want them. Unfortunately there's no way to turn them off, so every time I need to open Maps, I'm forced to wait for recommendations to load, and then swipe them away, before it's useful to me.

Terrible UX, thy name is Google.

dsfyu404ed• 8 years ago

Take a moment and ponder what would happen if you hooked a trailer full of racing shells up to a 14-passenger bus, tossed a set of keys to the assistant coach of the crew team and told them to get to the Charles river.

Yes, better restaurant suggestions is exactly what will make Maps more competitive. /s. The Valley Filter Bubble(TM) rears its ugly head once again.

Just giving people an "I don't know the area, please don't give me a route with a million steps and rapid fire turns when there exists an alternative with a fraction of the complexity that only takes several minutes longer" check box would differentiate them from every other consumer grade route planning software and make using maps for a route in an unfamiliar area (example use case: picking something up on CL) or when driving something bigger than a SUV in a dense city way less stressful.

A little warning that "this route contains under-height structures" (the location and height of which is publicly available) with a little icon on the map for each one would probably reduce the number of rental trucks, motor-homes and mini-buses that get can opened by an order of magnitude or two.

There's a lot of little low hanging fruit but reducing the number of routes your route planning software sucks at isn't as sexy as trying to predict what restaurants people will want to eat at.

Google Maps will soon give you better recommendations

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