Google Maps has a lot of great features, but it appears that one of the more social ones will be removed in a few months.
According to a recent post on Google’s community support page (via Tech-Issues Today), Google Maps users will no longer be able to follow contributors. This planned change will happen automatically in September 2025 and will include the deletion of all data related to your followers, as well as those who follow you.
It is also noted that your profile’s visibility settings will not be changed, and you can still choose to hide specific content in your profile.
While Google is removing the ability to actively follow other users, you can still view contributions made by users. The only major difference is that you will no longer have these reviews and images appear in your For You tab.
Google also states that users can still connect with contributors on Local Guides Connect or make use of Google Maps' list feature to find new places to visit.
For some, the removal of the follower feature will be disappointing, especially if you value your friends' opinions, reviews and photos of local restaurants and more. However, in the feature's five years on the app, there have been a lot of complaints about bots spamming the follower request, so there is an advantage in not having to deal with constant notifications.
Other Google Maps changes
On the plus side, while we might be losing this feature, we’re seeing a lot more being added to Google Maps, including the rollout of the new screenshot feature. This allows Google Maps on iOS to make finding directions to locations seen online and screengrabbed more streamlined.
It allows Google Maps to quickly scan your photo library and gather together all the images you have that contain location information. You can then use these screenshots to plan your journey.
We also recently saw that Google Maps had apparently removed the media playback feature from the Android version of the app. While many were distraught at the loss, Google has since released a statement that this was due to a bug, and not an official update. Google is reportedly working on a fix for the problem, so it should not affect users for too long.
This change isn’t one that will affect how many people will use the app, but for others, it might be a sign to move to a different app. However, it is not possible to follow other users on either Apple Maps or Waze.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
