Looking for an alfresco dinner during a balmy summer's twilight? A new "Explore" button in the Google Maps app offers locale suggestions based on the time of day, weather and personalized proximity range.
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The Explore button, which will roll out starting this week, will appear in the bottom right of your device's screen. Tap it to find nearby suggestions ("You can decide if 'nearby' means a five-minute walk or a 20-minute drive," Google said in a blog post) that change based on the weather and the time. The idea is that you'll avoid heading to a cute restaurant for breakfast only to find that it opens at 5 p.m., and you'll be warned before setting up a picnic when it's about to pour. The Explore button also offers information like reviews and transit schedules. As always, Google urged users to share more data to reap the full benefits of this new feature: "You’ll get best results when you’re signed in with location reporting and history turned on."
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--- Julianne Pepitone