Google Maps' incognito mode now available for iOS users
You might recall that back in October, Google disseminated an update that added incognito mode to the Android version of Google Maps. First, we do need to get something straight for all of you philanderers our there. This mode doesn’t allow you to travel to your weekly rendezvous sight unseen as though you were wearing Harry Potter’s “Cloak of Invisibility.” Instead, when Maps’ incognito mode is enabled, searches made on the app and places you navigate to are blocked from being added to your Google account. As a result, you won’t receive any personalized recommendations in the Maps app (like places to dine) and your Location History will not be updated. Today, Google has announced that this feature is now available on the iOS version of Google Maps.
In addition, Google points out that a new feature called bulk delete will be coming to Android users next month; this will allow them to find and delete multiple places from their Timeline and Location History in one fell swoop. But Google wants you to make sure that you know what you’ll be missing by not allowing it to keep your Location History. If you use incognito mode or delete Location History, you won’t be able to see wait times at restaurants and grocery stores (which is computed using “aggregated and anonymized Location History information”). You also won’t be able to see previews of the parking situation at your destination, be given a time-to-leave alert, use “Your Match” to calculate how much you might enjoy a particular eatery and use the Explore tab to find nearby coffee shops, parks restaurants and more.
Lastly, Google is adding a much needed new feature to the Android version of the Google Opinion Rewards app. The app allows you to build up Play Store credit by answering survey questions. Depending on what is being asked, users can score 10 cents to nearly $1 each time they participate. The credit must be used within a year, something that not every user knew. Recently, there were some complaints about credits disappearing from the app after they had expired. To make sure that users don’t waste any credits, an expiration date for the oldest credit will now appear underneath the account owner’s current balance.
We’ve used the app during the year and all it takes is a few seconds of your time. And the credit can be used to purchase videos, books, apps and to make in-app purchases. Android users can install the app from this link. Because Google Play Store credits would be useless to iOS users, this version of the app pays out in small cash credits that are deposited into a PayPal account.