Google Maps is probably one of the most used apps on my phone, pulling up information about new places to visit or just to get a sense of any area before actually walking through it on my own. The images and reviews supplied are invaluable, so having access to this data is an essential part of the experience.
However, it looks like Google might be making some changes, removing images and reviews from the app unless you’re signed in to a Google account. The report comes from Android Authority, with folks chiming in on Reddit about this recent change. This could be a major change, but to be clear, we’re not certain if this is a new way going forward or just a temporary bug.
Regardless, this is happening right now
Personally, I’m always signed in when using Google Maps, so everything I look at stays in my history and I can see anything and everything that pops up on the app. However, there are good reasons to use the app while signed out, with the main one being growing concerns around privacy.
You can also use Maps signed out in order to prevent one-off searches from being incorporated into your data stream as well. Of course, there’s Incognito Mode for that if you ever want to experiment. With that said, users are reporting that they are having difficulty seeing images and reviews when signed out of Google Maps for the moment.
Although users that aren’t signed in to an account can see a single main image associated with a location, trying to dive into more details, leaves the experience quite hollow, with no other images to be found. The same goes for reviews, in this case providing zero reviews to see or read. Without all these extras, we have to admit, the experience would feel pretty hollow.
All the curated data from real world people is an essential part of the experience. Being able to see what other people have seen, and read about locations in depth is vital. Again, it’s unclear why this is happening or if it’s even intentional at this point, but if it is, I understand why. You can’t get all of this great information for free and with such convenience, and Google knows this.
If signing in is the price to pay, so be it, at least that’s where I’m coming from. Others might be more hesitant, but there are ways around this hurdle if it is a permanent part of Google Maps going forward. You could always just use an account that isn’t attached to anything personal. If there are changes, we’ll keep you updated.
