Adding yet another dimension to its Maps service, Google has rolled out a new feature that will let users create lists of places that can be saved and shared with others. So you can have places under “Favorites” or “Starred Places” or even “Want To Go” and you can make sure that you and the people you love, are able to follow your progress on the maps.
The new feature, which began rolling out today to both Android and iOS platforms, also lets users create custom lists that can be kept private or shared with a select number of users through a link.
Announcing the new feature, Google said:
All of us love to share our experiences about places we’ve visited and things to do and see with our friends or family. Starting today, Google Maps’ new feature “Lists” will help you mark out the places you love and the places you want to recommend to friends. .
The new feature has been available as part of a small testing preview since last fall. Mostly Google Local Guides, who are an important part of the Maps community, received access to the new feature that looks to have been based upon the starred places feature. Users can also create their own, custom lists based upon their own preferences.
The new features also allow you to share your lists with others. To create a new list, simply open the side menu, go to Your places, open Saved, and then click on the plus sign in the blue circle at the bottom right corner of the screen. Another method of creating a new list is by opening the place you want to add to a new list, tapping on “Save”, and finally choosing “create a new list”. You can then share the new list publicly or obtain a private list that can be sent to people over WhatsApp, Facebook etc.
Meanwhile, suggestions from your own lists will also get preference when you are searching Google Maps to get somewhere and start typing in the search box. Following a list also means that results from them show up on Google Maps faster. What’s more, say you follow a list called “Good Restaurants New Delhi”, the person who has created the list can keep on adding new places and you will be able to see them all. Finally, you can also make lists created by you available to the general public through the Maps application.
Google seems to be looking towards adding an element of “social” to the whole travel experience. Various other applications like Foursquare have similar features available on their respective platforms. The software giant could also monetize the feature by allowing retail giants outlets to come up with their own lists for potential customers, or even pushing curated lists that feature them prominently.
Meanwhile, you can watch the feature in action right below:
