Google+ Local for iOS, the reincarnation of Google Places, will be pulled from the App Store on August 7th, according to an email from the Mountain View company. The move comes just over one year after the app first launched for iPhones and iPads.
For those who aren’t familiar with the software, it allows users to voice search for nearby restaurants and businesses, as well as read and post reviews. But now that it’s been fully integrated into Google Maps, Google says the standalone app needs to go…
From the email (via 9to5Mac):
“Hello,
We’re emailing to announce that the Google+ Local app for iOS will be retired on August 7th, 2013…This means that after August 7th, you’ll no longer be able to access the Google+ Local app through your iOS device. Any reviews and ratings that you created will be available on your Google+ profile and in the Google Maps iOS app.”
Google posted a significant update to its iOS Maps app earlier this month, bringing it to version 2.0. The update included a number of new features and enhancements, such as iPad support, enhanced navigation, and of course, several Google+ Local features.
In Google Maps 2.0, users can browse and discover popular local places to eat, drink, and shop using the new ‘Explore’ tab. And, they can also view ratings and reviews, or post their own, as well as view Zagat content. So yeah, there’s no need for a standalone app.
Google+ Local for iOS isn’t the only location service that Google has decided to phase out next month. A few weeks ago, the tech giant announced that Latitude, its location-sharing service, would be shutting down on August 9th.