Google Phone app loses the Nearby Places search feature on Android

Unsurprisingly, the Phone by Google dialer app is losing the Nearby Places search feature on Android. The change was announced by Google at the beginning of February, and the decision is now being enforced.

As spotted by 9to5google, the ability to search for businesses in the Phone by Google app has been removed. Instead of the “Search contacts & places” field at the top of the app, Google has added a “Search contacts” field that allows users to search for contacts, not places.

Not only that, but it looks like “Nearby Places” has been completely removed from the settings too, but this makes sense since this feature was supposed to use your location when searching for places.

According to Google, the decision to remove the Nearby Places search was based on the fact that “only a very small number of people use this feature.” Additionally, Google claims that the “vast majority of users go to Google Search or Maps when seeking business-related phone numbers.”

When it revealed the change to the Phone by Google app, the search giant said that the feature will be removed “in the coming months.” Well, it looks like the latest update is turning words into reality, so expect to lose this feature very soon if you didn’t already.