Google Maps on iOS can now 'match' you with restaurants
Figuring out where to eat has never been easier.
Google Maps on iOS has been updated Tuesday with a feature that shows you how well you "match" with a restaurant.
Once you've updated Google Maps on iOS to the latest version, the feature will automatically show as a "match" percentage on restaurants you find on Google Maps.
Google says the score is calculated "based on your unique preferences." When the feature was first announced, in May, Google gave a bit more thorough explanation.
"We use machine learning to generate this number, based on a few factors: what we know about a business, the food and drink preferences you’ve selected in Google Maps, places you’ve been to, and whether you’ve rated a restaurant or added it to a list. Your matches change as your own tastes and preferences evolve over time—it’s like your own expert sidekick, helping you quickly assess your options and confidently make a decision," the company said at the time.
The "match" score will not show up for every restaurant, which probably has to do with the amount of data Google has on it. I've tried it out on a couple of places in my surroundings (that I ate at before) and the results were solid but not perfect. Looking at this score alone wouldn't be enough to pick that perfect restaurant, but it probably wouldn't send me to some horrible place, either.
The feature is not entirely new: It has been available for Android for about a month, but now iOS users can get it to if they hop over to Apple's App Store.
Topics Artificial Intelligence Google
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
