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Google Maps Quietly Updated with a New Feature Nobody’s Going to Like

Google Maps continues to be the mobile app and service that everyone loves and uses, but on the other hand, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all updates are well received by users out there.
Square icons for ads in Google Maps 6 photos
Photo: reddit user schopfermd
Google Maps on iOSGoogle Maps on iOSGoogle Maps on iOSGoogle Maps on iOSGoogle Maps on iOS
For example, while everybody seems to love the traffic flow information that has recently been added to Google Maps (and which is inspired from a similar feature available in the Google-owned Waze), it looks like the search giant has also implemented a change that many won’t really like.

It’s a new square icon that shows up for businesses and other locations across the world when you navigate close to them. But the bad news this time is that the square icons, which are actually advertisements, can’t be removed.

In other words, we’re stuck with ads that we can’t get rid of, and there’s a chance these are here to stay in the long term.

The good thing is that the ads themselves aren’t very intrusive, so you can very well ignore them when they show up on Google Maps. At the same time, the square icon has the same size as other icons used in Google Maps, such as the restaurant indicator, so as long as we’re not getting spammed with such squares on the map, they’re not such a huge annoyance.

Meanwhile, this doesn’t seem to be available just yet for everyone. As you can see in the photo gallery here, the square icons don’t show up on my iPhone at this point, so most likely Google is still experimenting with the change and is bringing it to everybody in stages.

The ads themselves are more or less inspired from Waze too, as Google’s traffic navigation app also highlights certain locations when you approach them. In Google Maps, however, these ads are much easier to ignore, so let’s just hope they’re not getting any more annoying than this.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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