Google Maps is broken. Is it secretly copying a Chinese project?

It doesn't matter if you're on Android 17 or iOS 27: Google Maps is one of those apps everybody uses—and some do it multiple times a day.

Popular services are tricky: yes, you've got lots of users and that's great for the profit thing, but having lots of users means it's not that easy to change the way your service—in this case, Google Maps—operates and behaves. People get used to a certain workflow and when changes occur, they get bothered or even mad.

And some are already furious.

About the "Restaurants" tab error

In the past few days, there were multiple reports and complaints about users not being able to find any restaurants in the Google Maps app and on desktop. While my Google Maps is operating as usual, I can certainly sympathize with affected users.

"Google Maps can't find restaurants"—this was the message some unlucky users got to deal with over the weekend.

But wait, there's more

Now, over at the r/GoogleMaps Reddit forum, people complain their Google Maps mobile app is behaving oddly.



A user says Google Maps recently replaced useful filters such as "Top rated" and "Open now" with AI-powered buttons that often return inaccurate results. For example, there's an AI "Outdoor seating" filter that reportedly finds only five restaurants across the Polish capital despite there being hundreds, while a search for restaurants open that evening misses most of the places that are actually open.

"Open now" is crucial

For me, "Open now" is one of those simple filters that can make the difference between finding what you need and wasting a trip. If you're looking for a pharmacy after work, a restaurant late at night, or a hardware store on a Sunday, knowing whether it's actually open matters more than seeing a long list of highly rated places.

Without it, you might drive 20 minutes to a restaurant only to find the doors closed, or arrive at a pharmacy just after it shuts. It's basic information, but when you're already on the move, it's far more useful than an AI-generated recommendation that happens to sound relevant.

Is Google Maps secretly copying a Chinese project?

Google isn't the only company trying to turn a maps app into something more than a tool for getting from A to B. In China, Alibaba's Amap has been pushing in this direction with its Street Stars feature. It uses navigation data, foot traffic, movement patterns and verified feedback to rank and recommend local businesses.

The idea is less "find me a restaurant" and more "tell me which restaurant is worth going to", per the report. Amap can, for example, highlight popular venues in a particular neighborhood or even surface niche recommendations such as restaurants frequently visited by local taxi drivers. Don't laugh now, taxi drivers often know the best (and cheapest) food places you've never even heard of.

There is an obvious similarity here with Google's increasing use of AI inside Maps. Google has enormous amounts of location and user data of its own, so it makes sense that the company would want to use AI to turn Maps into a more proactive recommendation engine. Instead of simply giving you a list of restaurants, the app can try to understand what you're looking for and decide which places to put in front of you.

But if an AI button for "Outdoor seating" can't find hundreds of obvious options, or "Open tonight" misses most restaurants that are actually open, then replacing a simple filter with AI isn't really an upgrade.

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