Running Late? Google Maps Can Tell You If You'll Miss Closing Time. If your destination will likely be closed by the time you arrive, you'll get a notification telling you as much.
By Laura Entis
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Reaching a destination only to discover it closed an hour earlier than you thought, and thus all your harried rushing was an exercise in pointlessness is not a fun experience.
As with many other things, Google is on it.
Google's Maps app will now alert users if their destination is closed, or will be by the time they reach it. More accurately, it will alert Android users. It appears that the feature is not yet available on Google's iOS Maps app -- while the update appears on the page for the Android app, it is absent from the iOS one.
If you type in a destination that is already closed or will close before you're likely to make it there, you'll receive a notification displaying its hours along with the message "Your destination may be closed by the time you arrive."
If you're a business owner, the update is just one more incentive to ensure all the information listed on your Google My Business profile is accurate and up-to-date. You wouldn't want Google Maps dissuading people from visiting your business when, in reality, you're still open for another hour, now would you?
Related: How the Updated Google Maps Will Make Your Life Easier