Google offered a "Popular Times" feature on its Google Maps app last year to allow users to assess how busy an establishment would be at specific times of the week or day according to past history.

Last year, Google introduced a new Google Search feature showing users when a bar, restaurant, retailer store or any other location was the busiest and most popular.

When Is The Best Time Visit To Avoid Crowds

In the place's listing, a "Popular Times" section could be accessed to show a graph highlighting the best times to visit an establishment in order to avoid crowds. And just recently, Google upgraded this nifty feature with a real-time depiction of how popular and busy a specific area is at a certain moment.

Google would be strengthening the functionality of the "Popular Times" feature found in Google Maps and Search app. But this would also lock out users from a number of handy features including Global Positioning System (GPS) and the usable Google Now cards.

While Google Maps and Search have allowed users since last year to determine the times of the day or week a business establishment is the busiest and most crowded, this would be the first time real-time information would be available for use. The announcement about the update could just make holiday shopping significantly smoother and easier this year.

Handy Tool For Black Friday 2016

"Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, we're adding a real-time look at how crowded a place is right now, to help you decide where and when to go," Google's product manager Jamie Aspinall wrote.

In addition, the latest feature would use anonymous information that locates where a gadget was just found by Google Maps. In particular, Google's location data code traces whenever users enter and leave predestinated geographical coordinates such as an exact GPS location or address. Because Google Maps among, if not, is the most recognized mapping tools widely used around, this could effectively mean that Google also knows approximately where users are most of the times.

This idea of Google following users around could be uncomfortable and uneasy so turning off the location history on the device would be better. Although Google emphasized that doing so would keep users from other location-based features that might be helpful for daily use.

Google Maps also provides users other features that could help them navigate around holiday shopping groups at any particular time. The new update also shows in the "Popular Times" section an estimated timeframe of how long people stayed at the area, which could be effective in finding out how long it could take to wait in line for one's turn.

Google Maps could also show the times stores open and close on certain days of the week.