Google Maps helped me discover my own neighborhood was lying to me

When I first came to my place, I received a lot of incorrect information about nearby places from my not-so-tech-savvy neighbors.

I didn’t take their words for granted, though. I verified every historical fact they told me about nearby places by searching the internet before coming to any conclusions.

They all turned out to be correct, but what fascinated me was how outdated much of their knowledge about the nearby areas had become.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to rely entirely on word of mouth because Google Maps helped me keep updated. Here is how it completely changed the way I see my own neighborhood.

Google Maps’ Popular Times challenged everything I heard about the best nearby gym

Credit: Android Authority

I love working out at the gym, so I asked many of them about the best place to work out near me. They all mentioned the same name but provided many other incorrect details about the place.

To get admission, I wanted to visit the place when it was least crowded. I didn’t get the correct information from them, as their information didn’t match what Google Maps’ Popular Times feature showed me.

I relied more on Google Maps and visited the place when it was least crowded, as suggested by Popular Times. I made the right choice because the gym manager later confirmed that this is usually the quietest time of the day.

The Popular Times feature in Google Maps can estimate how crowded a specific location is throughout the day.

The Popular Times feature shows business activity in real time and historically through bar graphs. You will see them just above the Reviews section.

Reviews on Google Maps are an eye-opener

There is a popular restaurant near me. Almost everyone I asked about told me that it was the best place to eat dinner. I checked the reviews on Google Maps, and it showed a 4.4 rating.

I was about to make up my mind to book a table in that restaurant for dinner with my partner, but I canceled the plan at the very last moment. I wouldn’t have done that had the latest reviews about the restaurant been positive.

On Google Maps, you can open any place, go to the Reviews section, and then select the Newest filter. This will show you all the latest reviews users posted about the place.

I consider this a more reliable indicator than the overall rating. Google Maps showed the restaurant I was about to book a table at had received poor reviews over the last couple of months.

This was a strong indicator that the restaurant was no longer providing the top-notch service it once did.

The Explore Nearby feature revealed what my neighbor didn’t tell

I visited one of my neighbors’ houses and asked them to tell me about all the highly-rated cafés near my location. They told me about three, but Google Maps showed that two more had opened a couple of months ago.

Some of my neighbors also told me that I needed to travel a few miles to buy computer accessories. This wasn’t the correct information either, as Explore Nearby clearly showed a couple of highly rated computer accessory shops near me. This saved me time, energy, and, of course, money.

I had a similar experience while looking for a place to print documents. In all these cases, the Explore Nearby feature in Google Maps proved to be a blessing.

To use the feature, open Google Maps, tap the Explore tab at the bottom, and choose a category by swiping through the suggestions. If you choose the Restaurant category, it’ll list all the restaurants near you.

If you don’t see what you want in the pre-listed category, you can type the name in the search bar, and Google Maps will show you the full list.

Google Maps taught me an important lesson

Being familiar with something is one thing, but that doesn’t automatically mean you know everything about it. This is especially true of places that are evolving at a rapid pace. They can turn from best to worst in a matter of a few months.

So, it’s natural for anyone who claims to know a place well to give information that doesn’t match the current reality. Familiarity can be misleading sometimes.

I may not know how everyone who visited a restaurant felt about the quality of food today, but Google Maps certainly gives me a broader picture when I use the right tricks.