How Google Maps Knows When a Business is Busy

Google Maps is very useful for getting step-by-step directions, whether you’re walking, driving, or taking public transit to a destination. But it also offers much more than that, highlighting businesses and points of interest along the route, along with useful information about them. This can include star ratings, opening hours, driving distance, and even suggestions on what foods or services visitors tend to enjoy, but it can also provide real-time information. At a glance, it can tell you how busy a venue is and how long you’re likely to wait.

This information, available only if Google has enough data to provide it, can potentially inform your decision about where and when to go somewhere. If you’re in a hurry, you don’t want to stop at a busy breakfast place that won’t get you back on the road quickly. Conversely, if you’re looking for an atmosphere, it’s better to wait until the local bar starts to fill up. So how can Google Maps not only know this information, but also know it in near real time?

When it comes to specific establishments, like restaurants, hotels, shops and cafes, Google uses a set of anonymous data provided by random users who have enabled the Google Maps Timeline feature. By tracking the density of devices in a given location, Google can determine how many people are in a specific location, and therefore how busy it is, using typical traffic as a benchmark.

Google calculates people’s attendance times, typical wait times and length of stay by analyzing historical data. Google Maps displays a graph that shows when the business may be slow and when there are likely to be lines outside. Estimates of average visit length and wait times are calculated based on visitor patterns from previous weeks.

Visit length is a great indicator because it can give you an idea of ​​how long people visit places, like a museum, allowing you to better plan your day. Meanwhile, wait times are great for determining which restaurants and other service businesses will fit into your busy itinerary. You can even chat with Google Maps to order food, book hotels and much more.

Google also calculates the attendance level of entire areas, which is ideal for outdoor events. You can tap the “Busy Area” label to see a graph of the times of day the space is typically busiest, as well as a directory of nearby businesses. Google captures this data by combining information it has about various locations in that region, like stores, restaurants, and even parks. However, it does not capture data from private residences.

This is calculated, once again, using anonymous data from users who have opted in to Google Timeline. Google must collect enough visitor data to be able to display this information. So they may not be as readily available in less popular areas. This feature is usually limited to high-traffic areas that attract a lot of people, such as a tourist town or festival venue.

The data is always private, Google says, and never reveals people’s identities or the total number of people in a location. Google Maps will only tell you if a place is busy, not busy, or so busy that it’s probably not worth your time.

Before you enable Google Timeline, it’s worth noting that when this feature is enabled, Google is essentially tracking your activity all the time. Keep in mind that this not only helps determine how active a location is, but can also be useful in other areas. Google Maps and its sister app, Waze, use similar techniques to track traffic patterns to help you find the best route to your destination.

If you prefer not to participate in the process, simply turn off Google Timeline and you will not contribute to the company’s data collection.