Google Maps has quietly started treating logged out users differently. It gives them directions but hides all other useful information, including photos, reviews, restaurant menus, etc. The development was shared by several Reddit users (1,2) in the last week (reported by 9To5Google).
Signed-out users are reportedly seeing a pop-up informing them that “Google Maps is restricted,” along with a list of possible reasons, including problems with Maps, unusual traffic from users’ computers or networks, or browser extensions.
Sign in or view a “limited” Maps experience
At the bottom of the pop-up you’ll see a message: “If you sign in to Google Maps, you may avoid seeing this limited experience again.”
According to the report, logged out users will not see nearby places, user photos, addresses, opening hours, phone numbers, popular visiting times, or restaurant menus, among other things. Now I can think of two reasons why Google uses the limited map view to force users to log in.
First, “unusual traffic” has historically been used to describe systems that detect bots or suspicious activity. However, in this case, regular users will also see the warning. In addition, more and more people are using ad blocking extensions or privacy tools when surfing the Internet, thereby hiding their personal information from advertisers.
Furthermore, Google does not have all the data it needs to target such users with ads as Google cannot associate and store their browsing history with an account (which is important information like the user’s name, email ID, age, photo, etc.).
Google hasn’t confirmed anything yet
Whenever I travel to a new place, be it for work or vacation, I rely mostly on user reviews and photos on Google Maps to decide where to go. Over the years, the platform has built up an extensive database of really useful user reviews.
Whether it’s a new cafe, restaurant, amusement park, movie theater, public park, local businesses, or other important places, Google Maps has become an integral part of my life, and I can’t even imagine losing all of the user-generated data.
While Google hasn’t officially confirmed the change (whether it’s a change at all or just a test), the loss of all additional information makes the Maps experience significantly less useful. However, the experience remains for logged in users.
