By: Angela Soric
If you have recently accessed Google.com from your iPhone or Android device, you may have noticed a new edition to the Google homepage. The new location based feature, Near Me Now, makes it easier to locate restaurants, bars, banks etc. in your immediate area.
How it works
First, users must allow Google to identify their location. Next, a “Near Me Now” link will appear under the search box on the Google mobile homepage. When clicking the link, users will see a list of five categories to choose from:
- Explore more here
- Restaurants
- Coffee Shops
- Bars
- ATM/Banks
If users are looking for something in their vicinity that is not in one of the listed categories, they can click on the “Browse More Categories” option which brings up the local search feature. This allows users to search more categories such as shopping centers, hotels, gas stations, movie theaters etc.
Another option is the “Explore Right Here” category which provides a list of the most popular locations around.
Near Me Now seems like a very useful tool and many believe it will become a major threat to apps such as Yelp and Urban Spoon when it becomes available to other platforms.
