Skip to main content

Google Maps will now tell you about special offers from your favorite places

Google seems to have been extra busy this year rolling out new features for its Maps app, and on Thursday, October 25 it offered up a couple more.

Initially for Android users, the first one lets you follow places such as your favorite stores and restaurants, ensuring you’ll be among the first to know about special offers, upcoming events, and any other updates that the business thinks you might like to hear about.

Recommended Videos

To follow a business you’re interested in, simply hit the new “follow” button on its profile page. After that, relevant news and updates will show up in the app’s “For You” tab.

And that’s not all. To ensure you’re not the last to know about the next cool opening in town, Google Maps will soon start showing business profiles for up to three months before they open. Simply look out for the opening date — shown in orange text — and then make your plans to go along.

Businesses that are yet to add a listing to Google Maps can do so here, and that includes any new ones that want to offer up information ahead of opening.

Announcing the new features, Paul Cole, product manager at Google Maps, wrote in a post: “Ever wandered by your favorite store just to find out you missed a great sale? Or maybe you’re always the last of your friends to find out about the new hot spots opening in town.

“With more than 150 million places on Google Maps and millions of people looking for places to go, we made two updates so it’s even easier for you to keep up with the places you care about and find out about places coming soon.”

It’s been a busy ol’ time for Google Maps. In the last month alone, it has rolled out a slew of new features, including real-time journey tracking for iPhone, improved navigation for less stressful commutesgroup polling to help you and your buddies decide where to eat, and locations for EV charging stations

If you’re a light user of Google Maps but want to learn more about the huge range of features that it offers, then check out Digital Trends’ recent guide to getting the most out of this very powerful app.

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)…
If you don’t already use Google to scan documents, this update makes it a must
Cleanup feature for document scan on Pixel phones.

A fresh Google update has quietly rolled out which makes scanning documents with your phone, specifically with Google Drive, better than ever.

Google already lets you scan documents using your smartphone camera combined with the power of its various apps. These include Google Drive, Files by Google and the Pixel Camera app.

Read more
Pollen got you sniffly? Google Pixel Weather can now help with that
Google Pixel showing the Google Pixel Weather app.

When the pollen count is up, for many people that means breathing quality is down. Getting a heads-up on that, and being prepared, can make all the difference. This is why Google Pixel Weather can help.

Google has begun rolling out a new update to Pixel Weather which means it can now offer a pollen tracker feature across the wider U.S.

Read more
Google I/O 2025: Everything you need to know
Colorful 3D shapes spell out the Google I/O logo for 2025.

Google IO 2025 officially kicks off today, and begins with an opening keynote at 10am PT / 1pm ET.

For those of you eager to tune in, we've got all the information on how to watch the Google IO 2025 keynote - but we'll also be rounding up everything Google announces after the event here.

Read more