Google Kills Map Maker, Encourages Users To Join Local Guides Program

Google has officially terminated Map Maker, an editing service that allowed general users to contribute to Google Maps. The Mountain View giant is bringing the service’s features to Google Maps on mobile and desktop. The company is also encouraging users to join the Local Guides program.

Last Friday, Google announced that Map Maker has officially closed and most of the editing service’s features are being integrated into Google Maps. The tech giant also promised that new editing features will be added to Google Maps on an ongoing basis.

Map Maker was launched back in 2008 with the main goal of letting general users help in improving the Google Maps experience. The service basically made it possible for the general public to contribute information about roads, rivers, highways and other geographic features, so they could then be added to Maps.

While the feature proved to be helpful in developing Google Maps, Google had removed the service back in 2015 due to the abuse of some users. One incident involved the appearance of Bugdroid pissing on Apple’s logo on Google Maps. The offensive image made headlines, and Google addressed this by temporarily shutting down Map Maker then bringing it back with less functionality, according to Android Police.

Last November, Google gave a death sentence to Map Maker, saying that the service will be shut down and its features will be integrated into Google Maps. That time has come, so Map Maker is officially dead. To move on from this, Google is encouraging users to be part of the Local Guides program, which has the objective of helping other people find the best spots in town through the input of local users.

The program comes with exclusive benefits. One can earn points, unlock rewards for submitting edits and other information and even get early access to the new features of Google Maps. For interested users, click here.