Google Maps adds a new tab showing restaurants’ most popular dishes

By Trevor Mogg Published May 4, 2019

While some restaurateurs dislike diners’ habit of pulling out their smartphones to photograph every dish that lands on their table, others see it as a valuable way of scoring free promotion when the snaps land on social media.

Apps such as Google Maps also include photos taken by diners, but for those interested in particular dishes, it can sometimes be hard to match the image with a particular item on the menu.

Recommended Videos

A new feature being tested by the web giant aims to change all that, making it easier for food fans to order the precise meal they’ve been drooling over after spotting it in the Google Maps listing.

Highlighted by a number of users on social media and reported by 9to5Google, the feature has been added to Google Maps’ Menu tab, which itself is showing up for an increasing number of restaurants listed by the app.

As you’d expect, the Menu tab offers information on available dishes, but doesn’t include photos of those dishes. Some listings also include nested tabs for things like Appetizers, Entrees, Mains, and so on.

The new nested tab being tested by Google offers a look at Popular meals at a restaurant using information pulled from text and images added by users on visits to the eatery.

It’s not clear at this stage if the feature is powered by Google’s machine-learning smarts — it certainly has a track record when it comes to image-recognition technology — or if there’s a team of humans working in the background to ensure accuracy; possibly a bit of both. Either way, the posts include a way to suggest edits in case you spot a glaring error while browsing the available dining options.

The Popular tab seems like a neat addition to Maps, and should ease the frustration occasionally experienced when trying to match a picture of a tasty-looking dish in the Photos tab with an item on the menu, although in such a situation a restaurant staff member should be able to solve any conundrum.

It appears to be in a trial phase at this stage, but be sure to look out for it next time you’re checking out a new restaurant on Google Maps.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Topics

Mobile

An Apple Maps bug is showing airport baggage claims when zoomed out

Apple Maps on the Apple iPhone 16 Plus.

For some users, Apple Maps is displaying a strange bug: It's showing airport baggage claim carousels when zoomed out. The issue first appeared later in the day on Sunday when users took to Reddit asking how to disable the baggage carousel icons. It's a useful feature if you're navigating a new airport for the first time, but if you're running up the street for coffee? Not so much.

There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason behind the bug. Some users report it, and others don't. In testing, I couldn't see any carousels on any of my Apple devices. Users report the carousel icons appear when zoomed out far enough that you only see state abbreviations and capital cities. The bug doesn't show every airport, either; the ones that appear are sporadic and spread out.

Mobile

The Google Pixel 9a is here with a startling new look

A promotional image showing someone looking at the Google Pixel 9a.

The Google Pixel 9a is here and it has a brand new look, some new features, a tempting price, and a very tough time ahead of it. The curvy shape of the Google Pixel 8a has gone, replaced by a flat rear panel and flat sides. Not only that, but the iconic Pixel visor-style camera module has disappeared too, and the two cameras have been integrated into the back of the phone. That’s right, there’s no camera bump at all, making it look very unusual in 2025.

Whether you already miss the best design Google has ever come up with on its phones will be down to your personal taste, but if you get the Pixel 9a in the right color, it’ll still make a statement. Along with the ordinary Porcelain and Obsidian (white and black to you and me) models, there are two eye-catching versions: the purple Iris and the red-pink Peony. The Pixel 9a has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, the rear is made from plastic, and the chassis is aluminum.

Mobile

Google Gemini set to close gap on ChatGPT with rumored new feature

Gemini Live App on the Galaxy S25 Ultra broadcast to a TV showing the Gemini app displaying the transcribe of a conversation and the steps taken

The Gemini app offers a whole bunch of useful things, but it's lacking one thing: Video analysis based on uploads from your PC or phone. That might be about to change, though, as looking into the APK code reveals that Google is working on a video upload feature. This could soon help Gemini analyze and summarize videos uploaded directly by users; it'd also help it rival ChatGPT, which already offers such a feature.

Android Authority went on a deep dive into the APK source code of the Google app beta and came up with some interesting findings. Given that this was found in the official Google app, there's a good chance it'll eventually make it into Gemini, but just to be extra safe, read the following with a little bit of skepticism.