Ask Maps changed how I plan outings, but one closed listing taught me a hard lesson
Android Police 2026-07-20 12:00:16
Context: The author, Oluwaniyi Raji, a tech content specialist, tested Google Maps' new feature, Ask Maps, which uses AI to provide personalized recommendations for places to visit. He used the feature for two weeks to plan outings, but encountered an issue when it suggested a restaurant that had been closed for months. This experience taught him a lesson about verifying the accuracy of the recommendations.
Key Facts
- The author tested Ask Maps, a feature that uses Gemini, Google's AI model, to provide recommendations for places to visit, pulling from over 300 million places and 500 million reviews.
- On the first day of testing, Ask Maps successfully found a coffee shop with fast Wi-Fi, a work-friendly room, and good pastries.
- The author encountered an issue on the second week of testing when Ask Maps suggested a well-rated dinner spot with a solid dessert menu that had been closed for months.
- The restaurant had a nearly five-star rating and several reviews praising the desserts, but was still marked as open on Google Maps.
- To avoid similar incidents, the author started asking Ask Maps to filter out places without recent reviews, which has helped him avoid bad suggestions.