Google Maps turns off its controversial calorie feature after backlash

By Lulu Chang Published October 17, 2017

If you used Google Maps in the last few days on your iPhone, you may have noticed a new feature at the bottom of the app — a counter estimating the number of calories you’d burn if you walked to your destination. If you haven’t used Google Maps in the last few days on your iPhone, don’t bother checking for that feature now. It’s already been discontinued as a result of massive backlash from a vocal user base.

While Google may have intended the feature to encourage folks to forego other forms of transportation in favor of a more environmentally friendly and healthful option, it had a rather triggering effect on some users.

Recommended Videos

https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/920078748292132864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fkatienotopoulos%2Fgoogle-maps-shows-walking-distance-as-calories-cupcakes

Part of the problem, perhaps, was that in addition to telling folks how many calories they’d burn by walking, Google Maps also attempted to quantify this amount in terms of food. For example, Katie Notopoulos of BuzzFeed was told that she’d burn almost four mini-cupcakes worth of calories by walking nearly an hour and a half from her apartment to Times Square. Not quite the payoff that you might expect.

Google also had an additional three dots option users could tap to learn more about the calorie counter information, which noted that the average person burns 90 calories by walking a mile (is that really it?) and that a mini-cupcake contains about 110 calories.

Of course, this presented a rather one-dimensional view of health metrics. As Taylor Lorenz of The Hill pointed out, the calorie estimates Google provided didn’t take an individual’s stats (like height, weight, and overall fitness levels) into consideration. Plus, the choice of mini-cupcakes as a benchmark certainly seemed like an odd choice (one Twitter user noted, “I don’t even eat cupcakes“).

any woman could have told you this is a supremely bad thing a) to do b) to not be able to turn off https://t.co/QKLv74R2Lw

— Casey Johnston (@caseyjohnston) October 17, 2017

After the Twitterverse weighed in with their thoughts (and their thoughts were numerous), Google wasted little time removing the feature altogether. The tech company confirmed to BuzzFeed News that due to “strong user feedback,” the calorie counter in Google Maps would be deactivated. Luckily for Google, the feature was only ever a test, and available only to iOS users.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Phones

Motorola’s wide foldable just leaked, and it could fix the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s biggest problem

Here's your first real look at Motorola's next big foldable, sketches and all.

Electrical Device, Switch, Electronics

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, the company’s first wide foldable, became a sleeper hit that no one saw coming. It was quite obvious Samsung made the wide fold in a preemptive attempt to compete with the upcoming iPhone Ultra, but it struck gold. The phone is selling so well now that the company is facing severe component shortages.

It seems other companies have seen Fold 8’s success and are taking their own stab at making a wide foldable. According to a new report from Android Headlines, Motorola is working on a wide foldable phone, and we just got our first real look at it. An anonymous source shared exclusive sketches with the outlet, giving us a solid idea of the device's design before Motorola has said a word.

Phones

Your next charger might judge how slowly your phone is charging

Vention has brought a 140W GaN charger to IFA 2026 with a quirky display that uses animated faces to show exactly how fast your gadgets are charging.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

Chargers usually don't have much personality. Plug something in, maybe glance at a tiny LED, and hope your phone or laptop is getting power as quickly as it should. Vention's latest charger has a slightly more entertaining way of keeping you informed: It makes faces at you.

Unveiled at IFA 2026, the Vention Dash Pro is a 140W GaN charger with four ports and a small display that uses animated, color-coded faces to show what's happening. Alongside it, Vention has introduced the H Series, a remarkably thin magnetic power bank that puts considerably more emphasis on design than the chunky battery packs we're used to carrying around. Both are part of Vention's bigger push into the US and European markets, but they tackle portable charging in very different ways.

Phones

Tecno made a Tonino Lamborghini edition smartphone and it looks pretty stunning

The rear panel lights up when the phone boots, and the camera island has its own animated display

TECNO POVA 8 Pro 5G Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition launched at IFA 2026

At IFA 2026, Tecno came with a packed slate of hardware, revealing the MEGABOOK T15 360 as its first 360-degree hinge laptop, a Bezel-less Concept Phone, and the sleek TECNO CAMON Slim 5G smartphone. The limelight, however, was stolen by the TECNO POVA 8 Pro 5G Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition smartphone.

Yes, the name is quite a mouthful, but the device is extremely stunning to look at. The device adopts an eye-catching black-and-red palette with lovely hexagon patterns on the back. Running vertically across the rear shell is what Tecno refers to as the Pulse Line that plays a key role in the aesthetics. It lights up every time you boot up the phone.