Google Maps is getting a bit of a refresh, especially if you own a business. The update does not show off a ton of new features, but there is at least one big update — a dedicated page for photos taken by business owners. That means if you are a business owner, you will be able to upload photos for people to see on Maps before they navigate to your store or outlet.
The update to Maps is still only in beta, so if you are not seeing the changes yet, that is probably because you cannot currently get it through the Google Play Store, according to a report from Android Police.
The update comes after another update that was launched in September by Google, which essentially allowed business owners to show off pictures of their food and drinks at their restaurants. This feature was seemingly successful and was likely the inspiration behind this new feature, which also lets business owners take other photos like the inside of their store.
While many business owners likely have yet to upload photos of their own to the page, that will change as time goes on and more become aware of the new feature.
Google has been moving more and more toward being able to offer information about businesses through Maps before a user ever needs to navigate there. Some users may have noticed that they have been asked questions about a restaurant or store after they visited a location — that information, such as whether or not a restaurant serves alcohol, is being collected by Google so it can eventually offer more information to potential customers.
The new beta also included a string of code that hints at another new feature — phone number verification. It is currently unclear why a user would need to verify their phone number within Maps, but we may likely find out in upcoming versions.
