Google Maps for iOS shows how busy local stores are in real-time

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GoogleMaps
It's now even easier to avoid a crowd.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Google Maps for iOS has a great feature that lets you view “popular times” for local business, and with its latest update, those times are refreshed live. In addition, Maps can now detect addresses copied to your iOS clipboard.

The popular times feature was first introduced in 2015, and it’s a great way to find out when local businesses are at their busiest — especially if you want to avoid a crowd. With the latest Maps update, version 4.27, those times refresh in real-time.

That means you can find out just how busy your favorite coffee shop or the nearest McDonald’s is right now — and you won’t just get an estimate based on averages. Maps will also tell you how often people typically spend at your chosen location.

Google is able to offer this feature by taking advantage of anonymized mobile location data. By looking at the number of devices located in one place, it is able to provide an accurate representation of just how busy it is.

Live updates, which takes advantage of real-time location data, was first made available in Google Maps on the web last November. It was designed to provide more accurate information particularly for special occurrences — like holidays or local events — when averages are no use.

This Maps update also adds the ability to quickly access addresses copied to your iOS clipboard in the same way that Chrome detects coped URLs. When you begin a search, the app will show the address you have copied, allowing you to find it in just one tap.

You can download Maps version 4.27, which also includes always-welcome bug fixes, from the App Store now.

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