Google Maps Insights: a New Tab to Track Your Monthly Activity

With this new feature of Google Maps, it will be easier for you to look back at the past months and see what you did (or did not do) well enough. The Insights feature is a part of stats your fitness trackers and location-based social media may miss. Check if it’s already on your phone.

Recently, Google Maps Android app started showing a new tab in its “Timeline” tab. In Insights, there is some information about your activity, based on places you have been visiting during the last month (or some previous months). It includes the following:

• How much you have walked. The tab displays both the time and the distance.
• How much you have traveled in a car – as the driver or a passenger.
• How much you have traveled by various public transport.
• How much time you have spent in restaurants and cafes.
• How much time you have spent shopping at malls and stores.
• How much time you have spent at various points of interest.

Along with monthly stats, the app selects the highlight day when your activity was the highest and shows it in detail. During the current month, though, the day may change if you beat the record. It may seem like a minor improvement, especially if you have a wearable device (like a fitness tracker or a smartwatch) with its app that tracks your physical activity in more detail. Still, Google Maps can offer more of a social view on your activity, due to the data it can operate.

To check whether your app has received the update, launch it, go to “Timeline” tab, and check whether “Insights” is there. If not, try updating the app manually. So far it’s only available on Android; iOS users will have to wait a bit until Insights is implemented, though one day it certainly will. As the update rolls out gradually, you may have to wait a little more than others, depending on your location and on the device you use.