https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/google-is-killing-off-the-messaging-service-inside-google-maps/
Google Maps has had its own chat platform since 2018, but it's shutting down in July.
Another body to add to the Google Graveyard™. Anyone ever actually use this feature?
lol, all those years i thought the chat icon will just list some of their chat accounts. never clicked it 😆 well, it's almost the same.
I run a repair business, so it was handy at times to be able to field quick questions (can you fix X? How much will this part cost?)
Oh well, add it to the list.
I glanced at the headline and for an instant thought that it said they are killing off Google Maps and got excited because OpenStreetMaps could finally shine.
OSM can shine, but I still end up back on Waze or maps depending where I am...
Apple maps took a while to be a drop in replacement too
I used this a lot to check in with businesses whether they accept credit cards, which is a 50:50 in Europe and large parts of Asia.
Last time I used it this Monday in Germany.
I miss Google Talk. The original desktop application from the time before "app" was commonplace. It had a clean interface, uncluttered unlike AIM, and the voice calls were high quality.
Hangouts was worse than it in just about every way. Nowadays I just use discord since everyone else is using it as well.
Thank God. I own a business and this thing was obnoxious. Google promoted it heavily as a feature businesses should turn on to improve ranking. But it was junk.