Skip to main content

Google Maps now alerts you if your destination is about to close

google maps now alerts you if your destination is about to close closed sign
SpeedKingz / Shutterstock
Intent on making its Maps app ever more useful in a bid to stay ahead of the competition, Google has just rolled out an update that includes a feature which’ll alert you if you’re heading to a place that’s closed, or will be closed by the time you get there.

Currently for Android only, the warning pops up on the display as soon as the location you’re navigating to has been input. Of course, you can still access the directions by simply skipping the warning, but we’re betting this is a feature lots of people are going to find useful.

Google Maps already pulls up a range of information for businesses, including opening hours in most cases, though it’s possible you might miss such information in your eagerness to grab the directions and start your journey.

The neat part is that the new feature considers how long it’ll take you to get to the cafe, store, or wherever, so you’ll know before you set off if you’re likely to make it in time.

Monday’s update also means any car rental reservations you’ve made will now start showing in “my events,” in the same way as flight and hotel reservations already do.

Google’s ongoing tweaks to its already comprehensive Maps offering come as Apple continues with efforts to bring its equivalent app up to speed. The software has come on leaps and bounds since its difficult start back in 2012, with users looking forward to additional improvements with the launch of iOS 9 in the fall.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Don’t update your Google Pixel phone — you might break it
A person holding the Google Pixel 8, showing the screen.

One of the reasons to buy a Google Pixel phone is to be first in line to receive software updates — from new Android versions to important security patches. Unfortunately, one of the latest updates from Google is breaking some Pixel phones.

Over the weekend, a Reddit user on the r/GooglePixel subreddit compiled a list of threads from nearly a dozen Pixel owners reporting issues with their phones after downloading the most recent January 2024 Google Play system update.

Read more
Google is bringing Chrome browser to cars, even more EV features to Maps
Android Auto interface showing EV charging times.

Google is bringing a great combination of features to Android Auto and cars with Google built-in, particularly for those who drive an EV.

Google Maps is adding more EV-centric features for those who use Android Auto from their connected phone. Starting with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Mach-E, you'll now see information on expected state of charge on arrival to your destination, as well as charging station locations and expected charging times for longer trips. This is a feature that's been available for EVs running Google built-in (aka Android Automotive), and in my experience, it's extremely helpful and helps alleviate charging anxiety. It's wonderful to see this brought to the much wider-reaching Android Auto version of Maps, and I hope it expands to more cars soon.

Read more
Google is paying a $700 million fine, and you’re getting some of it
Google Play Store on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

If you think your Tuesday is off to a rough start, at least you aren't Google. In the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, December 19, Google confirmed that it's paying $700 million as part of a settlement regarding antitrust concerns around the Google Play Store.

In July 2021, over 30 states (plus Washington, D.C.) filed a lawsuit against Google over its business practices related to the Google Play Store on Android. Specifically, the lawsuit targeted fees Google charges developers to use the Play Store — and the alleged lack of competition the Play Store allows. Google settled the lawsuit this past September, and now Google has announced the details of that settlement.
Google's paying you $630 million ... kind of

Read more