Unlike Apple Maps, Google Maps can inform you about the busyness of a restaurant, bar, club, or other venue you're considering visiting. This feature is particularly useful if you want to avoid crowded times or wait for a quieter moment. If you prefer sticking with Apple Maps, there's still a simple workaround to check popular times for most businesses.

Google gathers anonymous user data through its mobile apps on both Android and iOS to provide visit details for business listings. This aggregated data comes from users who've enabled Google Location History and Location Reporting in their Google account. It helps generate graphs that display popular times, live visit stats, wait times, and typical visit durations.

There were rumors that Apple was developing a similar feature, but nothing has emerged yet that competes with Google's real-time visit data for businesses and points of interest.

• Don't Miss: How to Scan Your Surroundings with Google Maps Live View to Calibrate Your Location

Use Google Maps

Visit data is accessible for business listings in Google Maps, which is the default navigation app on most Android phones. It’s also the leading navigation app for iPhone in Apple's App Store. Use the links below to install or update the app to its latest version.

• Install or update Google Maps: Android (free) | iOS (free)

If you'd like to check visit data for a location before heading out, you don't need to use your smartphone. You can access Google Maps' desktop web app from your computer. This method works just as well from a desktop.

Viewing a Location's Popular Times, Live Visit Data, and More

Open Google Maps and search for the place you're interested in or locate it on the map. An info card will appear at the bottom of the screen. Swipe up to open the full card and continue scrolling until you reach the popular times section.

Using historical data, the graph illustrates how busy the establishment typically is throughout the day using a bar chart. As per Google, these times reflect average popularity over recent months. If live visit data is available, the current time will be highlighted in red or pink, indicating the present level of activity compared to the usual pattern.

You can tap any time bar for a quick summary of the time's popularity or live status, such as "usually not too busy" or "less busy than usual." For planning visits on different days, simply tap the current day to choose another from the day selector menu.

Underneath the graph, you might also find details on average visit duration and estimated wait times, both derived from trends observed over the past few weeks. The wait time indicates how long a customer would typically wait for service, along with the peak wait time for that day.

The process remains largely the same on the desktop site, except the info card stays on the left side of the page while the map occupies the rest.

Viewing an Area's Popular Times, Live Visit Data, and More

If you don’t have a specific spot in mind but want to gauge the busyness of the surrounding area, browse the mobile app's map view for a general overview. The map highlights whether certain districts are busy and often includes popularity ratings alongside location labels. Curiously, this feature isn't accessible on the desktop website.

Use Google Search

If you're not a fan of Google Maps, launch your default web browser or the Google app on Android or iOS and perform a Google search for your destination. Look for the info card related to the location and ensure the "Overview" tab is selected.

• Install or update Google: Android (free) | iOS (free)

Scroll down until you come across the popular times card. Compared to the Google Maps app, you’ll need to scroll more to bypass other search results, but you'll eventually find it. Upon reaching it, you'll see a familiar bar chart displaying popularity throughout the day, with peak hours clearly visible.

While some of the data mirrors what's found in Google Maps, the layout may vary slightly. The bars on the chart will appear thinner, and tabs for each day will replace the day selector menu. Information regarding typical visit duration, wait time estimates, and peak wait times may or may not be included.

Don't Miss: How to Download Entire Maps for Offline Use in Google Maps

Cover image and screenshots by Tommy Palladino/Gadget Hacks

The above is the detailed content of View Popular Hours, Wait Times, and Live Visit Data for Businesses to Determine When to Go Out, Stay Home, or Move On . For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!