Google Maps now with less maps
You can still find the restaurant. You just can’t find out if it’s terrible.
Google has created a “logged out” mode for Google Maps, which did not require you to be logged in previously. The new mode is a very light version of the navigation tool, and you’ll feel the difference immediately.
The biggest limitation is that you can no longer see user reviews without signing in. You can still see a location’s star rating, but you can’t see any further depth, such as visitor feedback or photos and videos uploaded by others.
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Other missing features include how busy it may be and related locations, such as nearby hotels or restaurants. Specifically for restaurants, you won’t be able to view built-in menus or see whether a place offers dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
Basic features remain available when in the limited mode, such as opening times, phone numbers, addresses, and a link to an official website. There aren’t any limitations around navigation features such as route mapping.
You can still find the restaurant. You just can’t find out if it’s terrible. Call it friction, call it growth strategy, call it the slow disappearance of anonymous browsing. Either way, the map is still free. The details now cost you your data.
For those of us born before google, that's how paper maps work.
You are holding your phone in your hand-how hard is it to find that data from a different source? There are plenty of places that will show you all of the stuff you want without being signed into google. Becoming less centralized in your web use can only be a good thing-we had enough meltdowns when people stopped using the media site formerly known as twitter.