Mountain View, California — Late last May, Google Places was renamed Google+ Local. And now it was only a matter of time before newly branded service started spreading to the mobile space, and iOS looks to be its first landing spot through a rebadge of the Google Places app. The search engine giant has just updated its Places app for iOS to the Zagat-enhanced Google+ Local, which incorporates voice search, among other things.
As its new name suggests, the rebranded Google+ Local service now reflect its tight integration with Google’s main social networking site, Google+, the travel app now offers iOS users several handy, new options.
“Google Places is now Google+ Local!” Google said in the app description. “With Google+ Local you can see reviews from your friends, decide where to go with Zagat’s summaries of places and review your favorite places.”
As a matter of fact, the move unfurled about a month after Google unleashed an update to Google+ on the desktop that incorporated the company’s September acquisition of Zagat. Google+ Local was the company’s newest social integration, and created “one simple experience across Google,” Avni Shah, director of Google’s product management, said at the time.
Further, along with the new name came the inclusion of ratings from Zagat, which Google acquired last month. Apart from attaining harmony with Google’s rapidly swelling social universe and letting us check Zagat ratings for nearby establishments, the update slips in the same voice search that Google has had in its primary Google Search app: we would not have to search for the best Vietnamese cuisine with that archaic keyboard.
Moving froward, the first addition is voice search. You can speak the name or description of what you are seeking.
Further, speaking the phrase “Mexican restaurants” displays a list of places serving Mexican cuisine in my local area. Speaking the words “Dunkin’ Donuts” displays me a list of all Dunkin’ Donut establishments nearby. And speaking the name of a local restaurant calls up its specific listing. Simply tap the microphone icon, and tell the app what you want.
This and other changes have been carried over to the iOS app through today’s update. Obviously requiring you to sign in with your Google+ account, Google+ Local helps you decide where to go based on your friends’ reviews.
The update also rolls out the ability to look up places using Voice Search. As in other Google iOS apps that support the feature, Voice Search is activated in Google+ Local by tapping the microphone icon and speaking your query.
In addition, Google also promised an improved UI for searching places that are not nearby, improved security, and a variety of bug fixes.
Upon signing in, Google will ask for approval to use your location. The company then encourages you to sign in with your Google ID in order to read Zagat reviews via Google+, make recommendations with those in your Google+ Circles, and discover places your friends have visited. Those who do not wish to link their account, however, can select “Skip.”
Once logged in, a menu provides easy access to nearby restaurants, coffee shops, bars, ATMs, gas stations, hotels, attractions, and pizza. There is also a “saved” icon and the option to type in a specific query. Along the bottom, Google+ Local will ask you if you’re near certain attractions; if so, there is the option to add a rating.
Nevertheless, as Google+ integration is now more prominent, it is still pretty much the same Google Places app, as far as its interface is concerned. It still looks like an app from 2009, which is saying something considering that it was actually launched in early 2011. A redesign similar to the last Google+ for iOS update would have been nice to see alongside the rebranding.
The updated app is available now via Apple’s App Store.