Google has quietly rolled out a new feature to Maps that is aimed at helping users discover places others have recommended. Google Maps now supports hashtags in reviews. Google suggests that users add up to five hashtags per review, and place them at the end of the review to make the text easier to read.
The feature started rolling out to Android over a week ago and has been announced to members of Google Maps’ Local Guides program. The Guides were asked to go back and add hashtags to their old reviews, as well as include them on new ones.
In addition to helping people find restaurants by cuisine or dietary needs, hashtags can also highlight local attractions like good for sunset, selfies and more. The tags can note the accessibility features. However, unlike on Instagram and other social apps, the hashtags in reviews need to be specific to be useful. To use the new hashtags feature, all you have to do is just tap the blue link when you see one listed in a review to be taken to a list of the other nearby places that have the same tag. Details regarding the feature for iOS and the web are not available yet.