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What Happens When Your Favorite Maps Friend Disappears Forever?
Google Maps is making a big change. The tech company is removing its Follow feature this September. This means you won’t be able to follow other people on the app anymore. People who follow you will also disappear.
This news might surprise many users. The Follow feature has been part of Google Maps for several years. It let people track updates from local guides and other contributors. Now it’s going away for good.
What This Change Means for You
When September arrives, several things will happen automatically:
- All your followers will be deleted
- People you follow will be removed from your list
- Google will erase all follower data completely
- You won’t need to do anything – it happens by itself
The good news is your profile settings stay the same. You can still control who sees your reviews and photos. Since there won’t be followers anymore, you won’t get follow requests to approve or deny.
Why Google Made This Decision
Google hasn’t explained exactly why they’re removing this feature. However, some clues point to possible reasons:
Bot Problems: Many users complained about fake accounts sending follow requests. People reported getting hundreds or thousands of spam followers. This created a poor experience for real users.
Low Usage: The feature didn’t catch on with most Google Maps users. While some people enjoyed following friends or specific contributors, the majority never used it.
App Simplification: Google seems to be cleaning up Google Maps by removing less popular features. They want to focus on tools that more people actually use.
What You Can Do Instead
Don’t worry – you still have ways to connect with other Google Maps users:
Local Guides Connect: This platform lets contributors talk to each other directly. You can message people and share experiences here.
Create Lists: You can still make and share lists of places you recommend. Other people can find and use these lists to discover new spots.
View Contributions: Even without following someone, you can still see their reviews and photos when you look at their profile.
Mixed Reactions from Users
People have different feelings about this change. Some users feel relieved because they won’t deal with spam followers anymore. They’re happy to get rid of the bot problem.
Other users feel sad about losing the feature. They liked following friends to see restaurant recommendations and travel photos. These people used the feature to discover new places through trusted sources.
Privacy and Data Protection
Google will delete all follower information when the change happens. This includes who follows you and who you follow. This deletion is permanent – you can’t get this data back later.
Your other privacy settings won’t change. You can still hide your contributions if you want. The removal only affects the follower system, not your overall profile visibility.
What Happens to Local Guides
Local Guides are power users who contribute lots of reviews and photos. They built up large followings over the years. These contributors will lose their follower counts in September.
However, Local Guides can still connect through the official Local Guides Connect platform. This website lets them share tips and coordinate with other contributors. It’s a more focused way to build community.
This change reflects how Google Maps is evolving. The app started as a simple navigation tool. Over time, it added social features like following and reviews. Now Google is deciding which social elements to keep.
The company seems to prefer AI-powered recommendations over human connections. They want the app to suggest places based on your history and preferences, not just who you follow.
Getting Ready for September
You don’t need to prepare for this change. Google will handle everything automatically. However, you might want to:
- Save contact information for people you follow outside of Google Maps
- Join Local Guides Connect if you’re an active contributor
- Explore the lists feature to keep discovering new places
The End of an Era
The Follow feature launched during a time when social media was growing everywhere. Apps were adding friend systems and feeds to keep users engaged. Google Maps jumped on this trend too.
Now the trend is shifting. Apps are focusing on core functions rather than social features. Google Maps wants to be the best navigation and discovery tool, not a social network.
This change shows how tech companies adapt over time. Features that seemed important five years ago might not fit today’s user needs. Google is betting that removing the Follow feature will make Maps better overall.
The removal happens in September 2025. After that date, Google Maps will be less social but potentially more focused on helping you find and navigate to places you actually want to visit.