Google has updated Maps for Android with new features. The company is adding integration for Local Guides service that has users reviewing local businesses and share them with others.
Google renamed the City Expert program to Local Guides last month. It is a platform where Google asks users to provide more high-quality reviews and add photos about places. The move from Google is to compete with the likes of Yelp, Urbanspoon, and others. Users who are contributing to Local Guides are rewarded by Google for their reviews. Guides climb the ranks by the number of reviews they add and a local badge appears after completing 50 reviews.
At this point of time, it looks like Google is interested in number of reviews and not the quality of it. Interested users can sign up to the Local Guides page here and start reviewing. The latest update bumps Google Maps to version 9.4. Last month Google Maps received voice lane guidance in 20 Indian cities and prior to this Maps for iOS and Android were updated with Material Design.