Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall a role-playing game for iOS and Android

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall

One of the most famous and most loved fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones broadcasted its last season in May 2019. There is also news about a prequel in making to Game of Thrones. Transformation of such a famed product into a game is an added advantage for the fans. Acting on that, on 27th June 2019 Behaviour Interactive, HBO, and GAEA announced Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall.

Game Developers:

Behaviour Interactive, is one of the biggest independent video game developers. Creative director Justin Jones the man behind Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has created Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall with Behaviour Interactive. GAEA a game development company from China and Behaviour Interactive worked together for about two years to develop this game.

About the game:

Game is set a few decades before the timeline of the show, just after Lord Commander Brynden Rivers disappears while ranging beyond the wall. In this game, players will deal with the events in Westeros.

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall is a role-playing game. Players playing as Lord Commander need to assemble and lead the heroes into battles against the wildlings, giants, and other dangers of the North. Players can recruit the characters from across the seven kingdoms and command a castle of the Night’s Watch in an attempt to protect Westeros. They also have to manage the characters as they have different strengths, abilities, and traits that make them unique.

After the disappearance of Lord Commander Brynden Rivers (a.k.a Bloodraven and eventually as the Three-Eyed Raven) from Night’s Watch, players follow his footsteps beyond the wall into the dark mysteries through the eyes of first ranger Alvar Spyre and his right-hand man Dramon Blackwood.

Players can use the mysterious powers of the Weirwood Trees to visit key moments from the history of iconic characters Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Melisandre, and Tormund Giantsbane. With the help of this feature, players can collect different costumed versions of these characters across various game events and further use the characters in other gameplay modes including combat.

With detailed hero interface, players can customize their units by using different traits, equipment’s, and skills. An important Meta layer also exists in the game where players send their ravens to fetch items, tactics, and abilities to strengthen their roster.

Pre-registration rewards:

Players can start registration for the game on its official website and it is also available on Google Play Store and App Store. Pre-registrations for Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall from the official website will receive bonus characters and items along with the game updates, interviews and more.

More players pre-register the greater will be the rewards.

  • For 250K registrations 10,000 copper pennies.
  • For 500K registrations 10 Shards of Jon Snow, The Old Bear’s Steward.
  • For 750K registrations a Knight of Vale.
  • For 1M registrations 10 Shards of Daenerys Targaryen, Breaker of Chains.

The developers did not give any official date for the launch of the game but will release sometime in 2019. The game will be available in China as well as other territories.

Bye Bye Camera: An iOS app which removes unwanted humans from your photos

Bye Bye Camera App

Clicking photographs of beautiful places while roaming around tourist spots becomes difficult when people come in between. The best-captured images sometimes get ruined by unwanted people. With Bye Bye Camera app this is not an issue anymore as it removes all the humans from images you capture leaving dogs intact.

Bye Bye Camera app is a practical art project which has been developed by the good people of Do Something Good and launched by the artist who goes by the title Damjanski. ‘Do Something Good’ was started a few years back by Damjanski. It is a collective of 16 people from different fields who collaborated with each other on different projects. Bye Bye Camera project is the creation of Damjanski and his long-time collaborators from Russia Andrej and Pavel.

Bye Bye Camera uses Artificial Intelligence tools which are already being used by others. This app utilizes the functionality of an image recognition app called Yolo and further combines it to a neural network which analyses the background elements in the image and fills up the gaps once the person is removed.

The artist, Damjanski, has worked on multiple digital projects, for example, CAPTCHA. In short, it is one of the most recognized projects which exclude humans and sets up a dialogue between two agents. “This app is for the post-human era that takes out the vanity of any selfie and also the person,” Damjanski said

MoMAR:

Damjanski became a familiar name in the society of traditional artists when a collective of eight internet artists transformed the Jackson Pollock room in the New York City Museum of Modern Art into an augmented reality gallery without taking the museum’s permission. With the use of augmented reality, these eight artists calling themselves as MoMAR overlaid their work on top of seven Jackson Pollock paintings. Anyone with the smartphone could see their work by downloading the MoMAR app. Damjanski says MoMAR is “an unauthorized gallery concept aimed at democratizing physical exhibition spaces, museums, and the curation of art within them.”

Besides, the photos taken from this app are very strange and often remind us of Lewis Baltz. Baltz used to create photographs of generic office parks with complete vacant space and no human. Basically, the app was designed to capture the post-human scenes by wiping all the humans in the photograph and not just the ones sneaking into it. This app is available on the iOS App Store for USD 2.99. User reviews for this app in the App Store are not very satisfactory, thus, developers should identify the glitch and add an update to it.

Hopper App now expands its services to predicting hotel prices

Hotel Booking app

After testing a beta version of its new service for almost a year in New York, Hopper announced its hotel services last week on Thursday. Basically, Hopper app is an AI-based airfare forecasting app that precisely tells travellers when to buy the flight tickets at best prices. Now it has expanded its services to hotels which will help travellers to book hotels at minimum prices without wasting their time on price comparisons.

Hopper app uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to predict hotel prices. Since its inception, the hotel figure has multiplied in the last one year from 200 hotels across 20 U.S. markets. This app now covers 270,000 hotels in 200 countries across 1600 major cities and are directly available for booking on the Hopper app for iOS. As 90% of sale comes from push notification, Hopper app will notify you the instance prices drop or it will secure a private deal.

Important points of Hopper App:

  • With Hopper app, you can filter the hotels by city, neighbourhood, and points of interest and also by rating, price, and amenities.
  • Besides monitoring the advertised rates Hopper app also monitors private rates of hotels in order to provide the best deals for the users.
  • Hopper has earned exemplary reviews for predicting the future airfares for up to one year with 95% accuracy.
  • Travellers can save up to $61/night when the prices are at the highest by booking the hotel at the right time.
  • As you go on using the app, it will learn your preferences and will give you more personalised suggestions accordingly.

3 best ways from Hopper app to save up to 50% on hotel bookings:

When to check-in:  At what day you check-in can change your savings from 15% to 47%. According to the Hopper, to check in to a hotel, Tuesday is the most expensive day and Sunday is the least expensive. Check-in on Sunday can save you up to 19% when the prices are high.

Book in Advance: Book your hotels in advance whenever planning for vacations. Hotel reservation prices fluctuate not more but similar to flights. Regardless of the current fare of a hotel, you can get a discount if booked in advance. Therefore, it is important to book hotels in advance if you already know the plans.

Prefer booking hotels directly: You can see hotels advertising online and on other third-party apps. These apps may offer you hotel bookings at fewer prices but booking hotel directly can give you more perks in a more discounted price as compared to third-party apps.

Hopper app features “Watch a Hotel” characteristic that will observe and forecast the prices of a particular accommodation. This way you can select your favourite travel destinations and book those instantly as soon as the prices go down.

Hopper app will charge 10% as a commission on hotel bookings but not more than that. In case the amount exceeds the said commission hopper will transfer it back to the client’s account. The app will roll out for iOS this week and in the following weeks for Android users.

Chromebook App Hub: Start learning with Google’s new educator tool

QA and Software Testing

In March 2019, Google announced to develop a Chromebook App Hub to help teachers and administrators to use educational tools and apps in the classroom. On Wednesday ahead of ISTE 2019, Google officially launched the App Hub. In addition to App Hub, upgraded version of Gradebook, Early Access Program, and Quizzes in Google Forms, Classroom, and Course Kit are among the new features added to Chromebook.

Teachers often search on the internet for new tricks and techniques to teach or to create lesson plans. Teachers also have to make sure that those teachings techniques meet the required policies. The Chromebook App Hub is the ideal place for educators to get a solution for these problems, to get new ideas and resources and also to learn the implementation strategies.

Epic! and Adobe Spark:

Google has teamed up with Epic! to create a community in the App Hub to showcase the best tools and apps for the classroom. Epic! is one of the vast children’s digital library which offers unlimited access to thousands of high-quality kid’s books, videos, quizzes and more. Adobe Spark will help Google in creating visual storytelling for the students of all levels. Educators can take help of Epic! and Adobe Spark to decide which tools fit into their classrooms and curriculum.

Khan Academy:

It is a free library which covers various topics such as math, grammar, science, history, standardized test and more. According to the marketing leader for Khan Academy, Eirene Chen, “The App Hub is a great resource for teachers, making it fast and easy to find apps and classroom activities that work well on Chromebooks”. EdTechTeam is helping Google in gathering the ideas of using apps in the classrooms.

Student Data Privacy Consortium:

For security and transparency to developer’s data and accessibility policies, Google has partnered with Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) which will assist developers in considering the student privacy implications of their products. Dr. Larry L. Fruth II, CEO of A4L/SDPC says, “The SDPC is proud to work with [the Chromebook App Hub] to provide transparency and openness around the critical aspects of schools, states, and vendors securing learner information”. In order to create healthy digital citizenship habits Google is working with the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and ConnectSafely.

Other Updates:

For teachers, Google has launched a beta program that allows them to create a rubric to attach it to an assignment and let students understand the grading system for their work. In addition to this, an updated version of Gradebook will also be launched which will let teachers view student’s progress. Along with it, the Early Access Program will help teachers to sync grades from the Classroom to the School Information System.

Technology giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are targeting schools and classrooms by investing in this sector to expand their business. Earlier this month in WWDC 2019 Apple featured its ClassKit and its free app for schools and teachers. Microsoft also has various tools for students and educators such as Learning Suite, Flashcards, Microsoft Mathematics, Project Tuva, and more. Despite such competition, the U.S. K-12 market is dominated by the Google Chromebook, the reason being its price and various tools for IT departments.

Educators can now find the apps and ideas on the Chromebook App Hub. Google has provided an Interest form for educators and developers where educators can submit their ideas by filling up the form and developers can join the Chromebook App Hub. Google said it will keep updating the App Hub so that teachers and students can find new ways of teaching and learning respectively.

Spotify separates Music and Podcasts tabs with the new update

Spotify mobile app

Spotify rolled out a major update to refine the view of “Your Library” in its mobile app. But this update is only for premium subscribers. The new update separates Music and Podcast from each other making it user-friendly and accessible. It is simpler to get started and to stay updated giving you a personalised experience. Prior to this update, Spotify provided a podcasts entry in a list that included mostly music related items like playlist, songs, albums, artists and more.

In new version dedicated tabs are given for both Music and Podcasts making it easy to toggle between the two. Inside the Music tab, you can see Playlists, Artists, and Albums tabs, while Podcasts tab has Episodes, Downloads and, Shows.

Music:

Playlist: The songs you listen to are added to a playlist along with the liked songs and playlists you create. A download option is given to listening to songs when offline.

Artists: It shows a list of artists and to add one in this section just follow the artist.

Album: While playing songs in the playlist if you liked a particular album, it will be saved in this section.

Podcasts:

Episodes: It shows new podcasts along with the one you follow and previously listened podcasts to resume it where you left.

Downloads: You can listen to the podcasts you have downloaded when offline.

Shows: Podcasts you follow or listen most frequently are organized in this tab.

Users do not need to worry about the previously saved music as the redesign will retain the saved data. This redesign comes with few other changes. Spotify has created a new automatic playlist called Liked Songs which you can see in the Playlists view containing all the existing and past liked songs. Another change which Spotify made is it launched a new playlist called “Your Daily Drive”. This gives the experience of listening to the radio.

Besides acquiring several podcasting companies such as Gimlet Media and the podcast creation and hosting platform Anchor, Spotify announced a new podcast partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company ‘Higher Ground’. In this partnership, the Obama’s will develop, produce, and also lend their voices to select podcasts. To compete with Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod Spotify is testing similar devices.

By users and paying members, Spotify is the world’s biggest music service. This new update from Spotify will compete with music apps like Apple Music and Google Play Music.

E3 2019: New game launches and technological upgrades

Most Popular games

Every year in the month of June video game industry gathers for E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) to celebrate the upcoming blockbuster games and sequels to the most popular franchises. The big game developers and publishers like Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix and more reveal the details of their games and technological upgrades for consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox. A week prior to E3 2019 Google disclosed the details about its cloud-based game streaming project Stadia sharing its pre-order info, price, and other things.

E3 2019 has been going on right now in Los Angeles, California and will continue till 14th June 2019. On the first day of E3, a number of games were announced from various developers and publishers making it hard to remember each one of it except the most favourite games. However, the following are the most popular games and sequels introduced in E3 2019.

Avengers:

It is a multi-player action adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal under the multi-game partnership between Marvel and Square Enix. Captain America, Thor, Black Widow Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man are the few characters displayed during the reveal.  According to Marvel’s Avengers, it will have an expanding universe with a customizable and growing number of heroes without loot boxes. Every hero added will be free to play. Official release date of the game is 15th May 2020 and will be available on PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC worldwide.

Cyberpunk 2077:

It is developed by CD Projekt which will be released on 16th April 2020. Keanu Reeves disclosed the official release date in person at the end of the trailer. You can pre-order one of the best looking RPGs (role-playing games) in physical edition and collector’s edition.

Final Fantasy VII Remake:

At E3 2019 Square Enix announced a fully re-imagined and modern looking version of Japanese most loved game of all time Final Fantasy VII Remake. The game will span two Blu-ray disc on PS4 and a collector’s edition will be offered through online stores. It will be available for gamers on 3rd March 2020.

Final Fantasy VIII Remaster:

Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Remaster for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this year. The game is not like the remake of Final Fantasy VII but an enhanced version. Everything is the same as previous but the graphic fidelity has been increased to make it compatible with modern HD TV’s. Makers of the game did not provide the release date but said it may arrive this year.

Gears of War 5:

For Gears 5, gamers do not have to wait for too long as the release date is 10th September 2019. It will be released a few days early for the subscribers of Xbox Games Pass. A new co-op Escape mode was displayed in the conference which includes player creation angle where players can create gauntlets for other players.

Project Scarlett:

Microsoft is going to launch two new consoles in 2020, Xbox One S codenamed ‘Scarlett’ and other will be similar to Xbox One X. This new project of Microsoft will support 8K gaming up to 120fps. Not many details were disclosed by the company but it says that the console is four times more powerful as compared to Xbox One X.

Bleeding Edge:

This game is developed by the multi-Bafta-winning developer Ninja Theory. It is a competitive brawler where each combatant in the game has a unique ability. From the trailer, it looked like a team-based shooter game like Team Fortress 2.

Way to the Woods:

It is a game about magic deer set in a post-human world. It was introduced last year’s in E3 2018 and was set to release in early 2019. The trailer shown in E3 2019 is somewhat the same as of last year with some new touches such as boarding an abandoned subway and exploring a shopping centre. It is expected to launch in 2020.

Deathloop:

This game is developed by Arkane Studios, the developers behind Dishonored. Deathloop is an action-packed game which takes place in a lawless island called Black Reef, where a giant and mysterious loop can be seen. There are urban regions which are inhabited by the masked individuals who are against the hero. No official date has been given for the launch of this game.

Doom Eternal:

The game is developed by id Software which is a sequel to 2016 series reboot. A multi-player mode has been added called as Battlemode where two players will control the demons to take on the slayer. It will be launched on 22nd November and available for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.  

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order:

The game is developed by Respawn a studio behind Apex Legends and Titanfall series. It can be pre-ordered with two editions: a standard edition and a deluxe edition. The game will be released on 15th November 2019.

Elden Ring:

From Software developed Elden Ring in collaboration with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and Sekiro’s creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. Basically, the game has a dark, mythic fantasy feeling that’s very much like the Dark Soul series. No official release date has been given but it will be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC and can be pre-ordered right now.

Google Stadia: Founder’s Edition and more coming this November

Google Stadia Games

A few months ago Google revealed its ambitious cloud-based game streaming service named Stadia at a conference in San Francisco along with its own gaming studio – Stadia Games and Entertainment. But last week ahead of E3 it gave some of the most important information everyone was waiting for such as pricing, pre-order availability, and games which will be available at the initial launch.

Google will launch Stadia with two subscription models called Stadia Pro, Stadia Base, and Founder’s Edition as an initial launch.

Stadia Pro:

It will cost $9.99 per month which gives players access to the highest quality 4K, 60fps streaming with HDR and 5.1 surround sound with the requirement of 35Mbps of bandwidth and access to Stadia’s free catalog.

Stadia Base:

Stadia Base, a free model will be launched next year which is limited to 1080p 60fps with stereo sound. You can also use the existing controllers such as Xbox One or PlayStation DualShock 4 to play the titles.

Stadia Founders Edition:

Initially, the company is offering “Stadia Founders Edition” bundle that packages Stadia copy of Destiny 2, the limited edition night blue controller which alone costs $69, a Chromecast ultra which will allow players to play on their televisions and three months of the pro service for $130.

Games:

According to Google, the company is geared up with 31 games which come from 21 developers and publishers. Following are the games:

Bandai Namco – Dragon Ball Xenoverse – 2

Bethesda – Doom Eternal, Doom (2016), Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Rage 2, The Elder Scrolls Online

Bungie – Destiny -2

Capcom – TBA

Coatsink – Get Packed

Codemasters – Grid

Deep Silver – Metro Exodus

Drool – Thumper

Electronic Arts – TBA

Giants Software – Farming Simulator 19

Larian Studios – Baldur’s Gate III

nWay Games – Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

Rockstar Games – TBA

Sega – Football Manager

SNK – Samurai Shodown

Square Enix – Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy XV

2K Games – NBA 2K, Borderlands – 3

Tequila Works – Gylt

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Mortal Kombat 11

THQ – Darksiders Genesis

Ubisoft – Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Just Dance, Trials Rising, Tom Clancy’s The Division – 2, The Crew – 2, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

Playing stadia on mobile devices will be restricted to Pixel 3 and Pixel 3A at launch but you can play in the Chrome browser on your Mac. It will be expanded to other phones over time and probably to other hardware. It is still unclear what Google is going to do with multiplayer titles.

At launch, Stadia will be available in the following countries: USA, UK, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.

Death of iTunes and other updates from WWDC 2019

Image of Worldwide Developers Conference

Apple embarked its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose on 3rd June 2019. The conference will go on till 7th June 2019, where Apple will show off everything it has been working on. At WWDC 2019 the biggest news for Apple fans was that iTunes will no longer be available.

Apple TV:

Apple announced an update for the operating system of Apple TV i.e. tvOS. The design of the home screen has been slightly changed with the addition of auto-playing full-screen previews. Apple Arcade, a video games subscription service which was announced two months ago, now users will soon be able to use Xbox One and Playstation Dualshock controllers alongside Apple Arcade as Apple TV will support those controllers. Apple TV will provide a more personalised experience with multi-user support. Every member of the family can have his/her own profile on Apple TV for personalised recommendations.

Watch OS 6:

Apple Watch new updates will make you forget your phone which will come to your watch by the end of 2019. This update will be compatible with Apple Watch 4/3/2 and series 1.

  • Inclusion of an App Store on the watch is the biggest update that Apple has brought with Watch OS 6.
  • Apple has launched three new apps with this update. First is Apple Book which will allow you to listen to audiobooks using Bluetooth headphones. Voice Memos will allow you to speak into your wrist to makes notes. The official Apple application Calculator app has been included for the very first time.
  • Audio Streaming API will allow your Apple Watch to directly stream audio away from your phone.
  • Hearing Health a new feature that can listen to what you are hearing and monitor the decibels warning you about the hearing damage.
  • Watch Faces will change the appearance of your watch. According to your preference you can choose from these faces: Modular Compact, Solar Dial, California, Gradient and Numerals.
  • Activity Trends will show the history of fitness data for last 90 days compared to the previous year.
  • Cycle Tracking which is also coming to the Health app on iPhone will allow women to track their menstrual cycle on their watch.

iOS 13:

Sign in option:

Apple is providing a privacy-focused sign-in option for those who don’t want to share their email address with any service. Instead of creating a new username and password for every service, this sign in solution will allow you to log in to a service using your Apple account authenticating with FaceID. This new login system will be compatible with iOS, tvOS, MacOS, and WatchOS apps.

Dark mode:

This mode replaces the light screen with a dark screen and comes in core apps of iOS 13 such as calendar, music, and photos app.

Swipe keyboard:

Finally, Apple has launched a swipe keyboard called QuickPath Typing for iOS users. It is very much faster and accurate also you get spelling suggestions along with it.

Portrait lighting:

With this feature, you can remove duplicate photos and highlight the best shots. Portrait lighting adds a lighting effect to smooth your skin and also changes the intensity and location of light for portrait lighting. If you accidentally shoot the video in the wrong orientation you can rotate it and apply new filters and video effects as well.

Find My:

Apple has combined its two apps Find My Phone and Find My Friends to a single app called Find My. The most important feature of this app is to find your missing devices. According to Apple, the tools are encrypted and anonymous and it won’t let someone install or reboot the phone unless you activate it.

Memoji:

With the new update, Apple Messaging app will get support for Memoji profiles, which puts an emoji on your face into the messaging app. Customize your face by adding makeup over it or braces to your teeth.

Siri:

Siri gets an audio update in iOS 13. With the help of new AI Software, Siri will speak with fewer pauses and non-human sound modulations.

Apps in iOS 13:

  • Mail gets new fonts.
  • Notes get a new gallery view and support for shared folders.
  • In Reminder, you can add details for when and where to remind you.
  • With Maps, you will be able to see roads, benches, parks, buildings, and tag a place as Maps will get Apple Carplay support by the end of 2019.

iPadOS:

Apple has introduced a new OS for iPad based on iOS called iPadOS. With new iPadOS you will get tighter home screen app grids, you can pin widgets on the home screen, 30 new keyboard shortcuts, flash drive, and memory card support to Files app, refreshed copy and paste gestures- pinch with three fingers to copy, spread to paste and swipe to undo. Apple has made these changes to the iPad to make it feel more like a desktop computer.

New Mac Pro:

Apple has introduced its new and the first most expensive Mac Pro with stainless steel desktop machine that supports up to 28-core Intel Xeon processors, 1.5 TB of RAM, 8 PCI expansion slots and modular configuration.

MacOS Catalina:

Apple has brought Usage Monitoring System to MacOS which was introduced to iOS last year. Users can use their iPad as an external screen on their Mac using its new Sidecar system. Apple’s Project Catalyst is the biggest addition to Catalina which allows iPad developers to port their apps to MacOS. Apple uses this system for its Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memo apps. Catalina is the one who breaks up iTunes into three new apps Music, Podcast, and TV.

iTunes:

Almost after 18 years of iTunes first launch, Apple has disclosed that it is going wind up the iconic music platform. Apple took this decision against iTunes and in favor of its newer apps Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. Other content of iTunes like movies and TV shows will be moved to the Apple TV app. With colorful sidebars and clear menus, these new apps are easy to navigate as compared to iTunes.

ARKit 3:

ARKit 3 is the developer’s tool for creating AR applications on iOS. It offers real-time body tracking in the scene and in obstruction allowing AR object to be placed convincingly in front and behind of people. At a time Face tracking can support three people when viewed in the front facing TrueDepth camera. Developers can also access both face and world tracking on the front and back cameras at once.

SwiftUI:

Apple has updated Swift with new UI and features. This updated SwiftUI can reduce hundreds of line to just a few and helps developers to simplify the workflow. SwiftUI will also support features like screen rotation, and dark mode. It will be available across all platforms with a common API.

Google Maps new feature help you discover popular dishes in a restaurant

Google Maps help you discover popular dishes

Trying out a new restaurant is a bit confusing as you don’t know what they serve the best. To make things easy, Google has rolled out an update to Google Maps on Android which will highlight the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

This feature uses a machine learning algorithm to display dish suggestions. The dish suggestions are based on the reviews and photos shared by the diners. The dishes which are more talked about and reviewed by the diners are displayed as the most popular dishes of the restaurant. In order to do so, it matches the dish with the photos uploaded by the customers. It will help businesses with good reviews to grow more, but the restaurants with few or no reviews will get no benefit from this feature.

Once you tap on to the Restaurants icon in the Explore tab, Google will give you suggestions of the restaurants nearby you. You can select the restaurants from the suggestions and the dish suggestions will appear in the Overview tab. Tap on a dish you like and you can also see the reviews given by the other diners. Along with the Overview tab, a Menu tab and a Photo tab has been provided. Menu tab displays the dishes with popularity in addition to other dishes served by the restaurant. Photos tab lets you see the photos of various dishes uploaded by the customers.

Recent additions to Google Maps:

Last year, Google rolled out a “For You tab” in Google Maps for more personalised suggestions such as to recommend places which user would like to visit, dine, shop, and more. In addition to this, Google Assistant was also brought to Google Maps this year in January. This helped drivers to get around, find local business listings, and send messages both from Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Things Google Maps can do for you:

  • Transportation direction
  • Creating a map
  • Measuring the distance and ETA
  • Mixing maps information
  • Finding your location
  • Setting routes
  • Getting traffic information
  • Verbal instructions
  • Location sharing
  • Location editing

From being just a navigational app to becoming a more robust app for businesses, Google Maps has evolved a lot with such minor but useful additions. People around the world who want to help others in using Google Maps have contributed in making this feature possible by clicking the photos of the dishes from the restaurants they have visited and shared them on google maps.

Google has rolled out this feature on google maps for Android devices worldwide and for iOS users, it will be made available in coming months.