Google Maps has been a great navigation app and with new features it has added back in 2018, it became even more useful and assistive to its users.
Now in 2019, Google Maps is seen to have a new feature; instant messaging. While it’s uncertain how many users are already getting the new feature, it’s certain that it’s available to both iOS and Android devices.
The new feature is hidden at the sidebar menu, in which users will see a new tab called “Messages”. Clicking into it will show you the messages you’ve had with businesses.
Yes, it’s only to contact businesses, not for chatting with your friends and family, so users will not have to worry that their Google Maps become an app filled with message notifications.
Being able to message stores and restaurants will definitely be helpful especially when you need more information before you actually visit the places. You can ask the store to check the product availability before you go over, or make reservations through the app itself so you can skip calling.
Although this feature will be convenient, it still doesn’t compare to calling the businesses because it’s much faster. That being said, businesses might sometime forget to update their contact details or be too busy to answer your calls, so messaging them can be a rather useful alternative.