Google maps will have a new feature that will allow it to be more social than ever. Google is aiming for Google Maps to be more than just a tool that gets someone from one place to another.
The new feature, which is available all around the world today, Feb. 13., allows Google Maps users to save their favorite places in a list and share that list with other users of the app. Those who are interested in the new feature can download the latest version of the tool, which is available for both iOS and Android devices, from Google Play and Apple's App Store.
Venture Beat describes how the feature is used. First, open the Google Maps app and locate a place. It can be a certain restaurant that the user likes or a place he or she visited lately. Which particular place to list depends entirely on the user. Once the first place has been decided upon, tap on it and then save it by simply hitting the Save icon. The user will then be asked to create a new list or to choose among a number of pre-set lists. Custom lists can be made public or private depending on the preference of the user. It can also be shared with a link. The pre-set lists that are built in at launch include "Favorites", "Starred Places", and "Want to Go". The "Want to Go" list is a good start-up point in making plans for vacations. "Starred Places" can be any place that is quite important but not among the user's favorite places to go to like the dentist's office or the local hospital. "Favorites" are of course the places that the user frequents or those that are memorable and the user would want to go back to if given the chance.
According to Tech Crunch, the feature has already been tested by Google Local Guides. Now that it has been made available, the feature will allow Google Maps to be more than just a place finder or an app that tells users where to shop on Black Friday.
