At I/O 2018, Google announced a revamped Google Maps focused on being more personal and assistive thanks to a revamped Explore tab and new “For you” section featuring a “Your match” score. This new experience is now widely rolling out, alongside the Material Theme redesign.
The new Google Maps began rolling out earlier this month and as of Tuesday it’s officially available for Android and iOS. On the design front, it features many components that Google has been A/B testing in piecemeal over an even longer period.
As part of the Material Theme redesign, you’ll immediately notice the new stark white bottom bar with four sections and revamped outline-style icons, which are more evenly spaced out. Google Sans is the default font everywhere across the new interface.
A new, rounded search bar is up top with that angled motif also applied to the corners of the relatively unchanged Driving and Transit tabs. New place cards are more compact and provide additional details, as well as in-line direction, call, and share shortcuts.
The redesigned Explore tab notes the region or city you’re currently in and offers quick shortcuts to find Restaurants, Bars, Events, and More, which presents a granular list featuring Food & Drink, Things to do, Shopping, and Services. There is a another carousel underneath of local jaunts, as well as Lists and mapped out Events.
A big aspect of the new Maps experience, these lists are created by “local experts, Google’s algorithms, and trusted publishers like The Infatuation.” Google will check off places you’ve already visited and suggest the ones you haven’t been to.
Lastly, Google Maps now features a fourth tab named “For you.” On initial launch, users will be asked to select areas they want to keep up-to-date on. Every restaurant or bar now has a “Your match” score based on what Google knows about the place, your preferences/ratings, and previous visits.
The percentage is how much Google thinks you’ll enjoy a place, and updates over time to match your current tastes. Tapping on a score provides a list of explanations, such as liking a particular style of food. This new section is now available for Android users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
If the new Google Maps is not yet available for you, trying closing the app in Recents and reopening. Also, be sure that you’ve updated to version 9.80.2 via the Play Store.
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