Say goodbye to the Google Maps Schedule Explorer. The feature previously allowed Google Maps users to check the schedules of upcoming metro transits. Now, though, Google appears to have quietly removed the feature to the dismay of all who relied on it.
Google Maps Schedule Explorer is no more
Even if you use Google Maps on a daily basis, there’s a chance you’ve never even heard of the Google Maps Schedule Explorer. That’s not your fault, though, there are a lot of useful features in Google Maps you might not know about. And, Google actually kept the feature pretty well hidden under the transits portion of its app. As such, if you don’t rely on the metro every day, you probably didn’t even know the feature existed.
For those who do rely on metro transits every day, the loss of the Schedule Explorer is a tough one. The feature allowed users to check incoming metro stops, as well as see how the train’s arrival and departure times would affect their overall travel time. It was an exceptionally useful feature for those who needed it. However, Google says that not enough people were using it.
While the company quietly removed Google Maps Schedule Explorer from the app, a Platinum Product Expert confirmed the removal on Google’s forums last week. Platinum Product Expert Keith.A claims to have been in contact with Google and says the feature was removed due to very limited usage. While Google hasn’t confirmed or denied the removal, the post was recommended by a Google forums Community Manager.
Weeks in the making
But, this isn’t the first time that someone noticed Google Maps Schedule Explorer missing from their app. In fact, forum posts dating back to early January of 2022 show that the feature has been appearing and disappearing for many over the past several weeks.
Other users in the forum corroborate the removal of the feature, too, with one even noting it vanished off their Samsung phone but was still available on the web version of Google Maps for a while after. It isn’t the first time that Google has killed off a feature. In fact, the company has become quite notorious for killing things off, like apps, features, etc.
Seeing the removal of Google Maps Schedule Explorer is probably very disappointing for many, especially if you relied on it. I’m not quite sure what Google constitutes as “limited usage”, but the feature appears to have been used by quite a few people, though maybe not every day. Still, the tech giant is always releasing new updates to its products. Just recently it dropped an update that adds style suggestions to Google Docs.
