Google & Apple Adjust Maps During Pandemic
April 2020


In early April, Google adjusted the appearance of places that have closed for the pandemic.

Here’s San Francisco:


And a few other cities:






In addition to deemphasizing the labels of temporarily closed places, Google has also added subtitles to restaurant labels, indicating their delivery/takeout offerings:

* * *

Similar to Google, Apple also appears to have made pandemic-related changes to its map. Specifically, Apple seems to have de-prioritized certain place categories, such as hotels and bars, in favor of restaurants, supermarkets, and pharmacies.

Here’s the area around Union Square in San Francisco:


And Midtown Manhattan:


In the past, Apple has added special labels for temporarily closed places, such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York:

So it’s possible that Apple may still add special labels for temporarily closed places.