Google Releases Google Maps 3.3 for Android; Adds What’s Nearby Feature

By AIC Staff on December 7th, 2009 5

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With the release of Google Maps 3.3, Google has added a “What’s Nearby” feature to Maps that displays the 10 closest places to a users location.

Today we’re announcing “What’s Nearby” for Google Maps on Android 1.6+ devices, available as an update from Android Market. To use the feature just long press anywhere on the map, and we’ll return a list of the 10 closest places, including restaurants, shops and other points of interest. It’s a simple answer to a simple question, finally. (And if you visit google.com from your iPhone or Android device in a few weeks, clicking “Near me now” will deliver the same experience.)

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What’s Nearby is a feature added to Google Maps that allows users to see what businesses are near them and their Android device. To activate the feature, simply long-press on the map, tap on the bubble and look for “What’s nearby?” in the menu.

By default, the menu item shows nearby businesses but users may click on it to see more nearby places. The Whats Nearby feature may also be accessed from the “My Location” menu or from address search results.

Google has also indicated plans to expand the feature in the future to show local product inventory in search results and that Google Suggest may include location-specific search terms.

Stay tuned!