Google could discontinue another Maps feature very soon (APK teardown)

The ability to follow places could go away from January 2025, according to a deprecation notice found within the app.

Google could discontinue another Maps feature very soon (APK teardown)
Google Maps GPS Nagivation stock photo
Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
  • Strings within the latest Google Maps beta indicates that Google could soon deprecate the Followed Places feature.
  • The feature was launched back in 2018 to allow users to receive news from places and businesses listed on Google Maps.
  • The deprecation is planned for January 2025, according to the strings.

Google Maps is one of the top recommended free apps for Android users, thanks to how insanely useful it is. Maps is great not only for active navigation, but also serves as an excellent resource for discovery and recommendations. However, one can argue that Google Maps has reached some level of feature overload, with the app constantly throwing a lot of things at the wall to try and find out what sticks. Google could be looking at a feature cleanup, and one of the features that it could soon axe is the ability to follow places on its service.

Within Google Maps v11.134.0103 beta, we spotted strings referencing the deprecation of the Followed Places feature.