At Google’s annual Search On conference, the company announced seven new features and updates to local search.
These updates greatly improve how users explore neighborhoods, shops and restaurants on Google Search.
Local search changes rolling out soon include:
- Find restaurants by cuisine
- Discover restaurant specialties
- Enhanced support for digital menus
- Google Maps live view enhancements
- Aerial view of famous landmarks
- Immersive view
- Neighborhood atmosphere check
Read all the details about these updates in the section below.
1. Find restaurants by cuisine
Google is upgrading its restaurant locator to let you search for local places that serve a particular dish.
With the new search experience, type in a query like ‘dumplings near me’ and Google will return a list of restaurants that serve it.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/search/food-restaurant-search/, September 2022.You can be even more specific with filters like vegetarian food, spicy food, etc.
2. Discover restaurant specialties
Local restaurants generally have their own quality that is known through the community.
It can be difficult to judge quality via Google search, as stars alone don’t tell the whole story.
Google will soon allow searchers to preview and rate restaurants to better understand what makes them unique.
Here’s an example of a list of local restaurants with “People’s Voice” highlighted at the top of the screen.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/search/food-restaurant-search/, September 2022.Google uses machine learning to analyze images and reviews to find features of the place.
3. Enhanced support for digital menus
As Google expands the reach of its digital menus, it enhances them with rich visuals and ensures they are kept up to date.
In a blog post, Google explains how restaurant owners can add digital menus with no additional work required.
“We combine menu information provided by people and merchants with information found on restaurant websites that use open standards for data sharing. uses image and language understanding technology from
Google says it will highlight the most popular dishes and call out a variety of dietary options, including vegetarian and vegan.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/search/food-restaurant-search/, September 2022.4. Enhanced Google Maps Live View
Google is upgrading a feature it introduced three years ago called Live View. This feature allows you to navigate directions while looking through your phone’s camera viewfinder.
Instead of just navigating from one place to another, you’ll be able to search for things in your immediate vicinity.
Google shares an example of using Live View to find ATMs within walking distance of where a person is standing.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/maps/4-new-updates-maps-searchon-2022/, September 2022.“Suppose you are heading to an outdoor market and need to withdraw some cash. With Search in Live View, you just need to pick up your phone to find an ATM in your area and see it instantly. You can also find different locations such as grocery stores, transfer stations, etc. View opening hours and how busy the location is, tap any location to see details such as services offered by the barber shop down the street. can be displayed.”
Search by Live View will begin rolling out in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo in the coming months.
5. Aerial view of landmarks
Google currently offers over 250 photorealistic aerial images of landmarks around the world.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/maps/4-new-updates-maps-searchon-2022/, September 2022.Google doesn’t list all landmarks with aerial photos, other than saying they “straddle everything from Tokyo Tower to the Acropolis”.
6. Immersive view
Immersive views take you beyond Street View and inside buildings and other facilities.
Additionally, an immersive view shows how crowded the place is and what the weather will be like at a given day and time.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/maps/4-new-updates-maps-searchon-2022/, September 2022.Immersive Views will be rolling out to Android and iOS in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo in the coming months.
7. Vibe Check the Neighborhood
Get a sense of what your neighborhood is like before you even visit it with the new ‘What’s Your Neighborhood’ feature in Google Maps.
Google highlights what’s new, local gems, and things worth exploring.
Helpful photos and information from the Google Maps community appear on the map as you browse your neighborhood.
Screenshot: blog.google/products/maps/4-new-updates-maps-searchon-2022/, September 2022.Google says it uses a combination of AI and user-submitted information to power the Nearby Vibes feature. This feature will be rolled out globally on Android and iOS in the coming months.
sauce: Google (1, 2, 3)
Featured Image: Lisa M/Shutterstock
