Google Maps does more than take you quickly and safely from point “A” to point “B.” The app will tell you where you can find a place to spend the night, catch some entertainment, visit landmarks, and grab your meals once you arrive at “B.” To help users decide where to dine while away, Google Maps is integrated with Google Reviews. Right inside the Google Maps app, you’ll find restaurant reviews from Google Review members along with photos and videos.
To help Google Maps users with Android identify a particular meal that is the subject of a posted photograph, if you tap on the photograph of a particular restaurant and then press the Photos tab, you’ll see pictures of certain dishes from that particular eatery. Thanks to a new feature, if you go swiping through these photos, you might notice a card at the bottom of some images that not only names the dish pictured, but also gives the menu description of it.
The description in the red box reveals more information about a particular dish photographed in Google Maps
Some of the cards will also include other information such as whether a meal item is Popular or Vegetarian. As far as the latter label is concerned, if you’re a strict vegetarian, be careful. As Google notes, “Dish information is collected from Google users and businesses. Google analyzes the aggregated data, but doesn’t verify every attribute (italics ours).”
Google Maps users will be able to suggest an edit
Google Maps users will be able to suggest that Google edit the information, correct information that is wrong, or remove the name of a dish if it is offensive. Not all pictures contain this information and according to 9to5Google, the information about the pictured meals comes not only from images submitted by restaurant customers but also from object recognition.
The feature has been spotted on Version 11.112.0102 of the Google Maps for Android app. You can check to see which version of the app is on your Android phone by going to Settings > Apps > See all xxx apps. Scroll down and tap on Maps. Scroll to the very bottom of the next page to see the version number of the Google Maps app on your phone. My Pixel 6 Pro, running the latest Android 14 QPR2 Beta, has Google Maps version 11.109.0101.
While this feature is coming to the Android version of Google Maps, it isn’t clear whether iOS users will also get it.
