Google Maps, once solely a navigation app, has evolved into a full-featured mapping platform with a variety of features beyond just getting users from point A to point B. However, not all of these features have been successful, leading to Google making changes to the platform.
Following the decision to discontinue business chats on Google Maps due to low user adoption, Google is now planning to remove the ability to follow places on the platform. This feature, which allowed users to follow businesses in order to receive updates on ads, events, and offers, will be phased out starting in January 2025.
While Google has not officially announced the removal of this feature or provided specific reasons for doing so, reports have indicated that the follow button has already disappeared for some users. The lack of attention and improvements to the feature in recent years suggests that its removal may already be underway.
Although users can still save places they are interested in, Google is expected to completely remove the ability to follow places in January 2025. While users await an official announcement from Google, speculation is that the feature will be discontinued for all users by the designated date.
It is unclear why Google has decided to remove the ability to follow places on Google Maps, but given the low usage and lack of support for the feature in recent years, it is likely a strategic decision to focus on more popular aspects of the platform. Users who have found the feature useful are encouraged to save any important data using Google Takeout before the feature is completely phased out.
As users anticipate further details and announcements from Google regarding the removal of the follow places feature, it is expected that the upcoming stable version of Google Maps will provide more information. The notification of the feature’s deprecation was initially discovered in a beta version of the app, indicating that Google is planning to make the change widely known in the near future.
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