Google local search broken?

[odhinn]

Is it my imagination or did the Google search results recently get useless?

It used to be, I would search on my N1, say for "office depot" and it would show me web results with local results included. Then when I clicked on "Show Map" it would go to Google Maps and I would have the option of navigating to that location.

Now, I click "Show Map" and it shows me a map with an arrow for the location and I can't do a damn thing.

Am I the only one who's seeing this? I updated Google Maps a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking that's when it broke.

As a workaround, I've discovered if I do the search from within Google Maps I can still navigate, but it's a headache.

Way to go Google.

 

[teksavy]

I agree.. I really miss this functionality. The only way I can get what I had very easily on my iPhone was to:

-Start the internet browser
-Goto m.google.com
-Select local tab at top
-Click acquire location
-Click the search box
-Type or speak my query.

The voice search program on my HTC Incredible doesn't provide local results.

Anyone have an idea to get back the functionality I had on my iPhone?

Is it my imagination or did the Google search results recently get useless?

It used to be, I would search on my N1, say for "office depot" and it would show me web results with local results included. Then when I clicked on "Show Map" it would go to Google Maps and I would have the option of navigating to that location.

Now, I click "Show Map" and it shows me a map with an arrow for the location and I can't do a damn thing.

Am I the only one who's seeing this? I updated Google Maps a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking that's when it broke.

As a workaround, I've discovered if I do the search from within Google Maps I can still navigate, but it's a headache.

Way to go Google.

 

[teksavy]

I found the solution! I now get local (near me now) results in google searches like I used to.

You need to turn on location in privacy settings. The default is off.

Exact settings:
Settings-> Privacy -> Use My Location (make sure it is checked.)

I allowed the internet app to use my location and would think that setting would apply since it uses the internet to display results. In addition, the location function was active within the internet browser on google pages as well.

I ran across this setting while looking for something else. Yay!

Hope this helps someone as I have learned a lot from others here.

-Ed

 

[AdroidLloydWebber]

I found the solution! I now get local (near me now) results in google searches like I used to.

You need to turn on location in privacy settings. The default is off.

Exact settings:
Settings-> Privacy -> Use My Location (make sure it is checked.)

I allowed the internet app to use my location and would think that setting would apply since it uses the internet to display results. In addition, the location function was active within the internet browser on google pages as well.

I ran across this setting while looking for something else. Yay!

Hope this helps someone as I have learned a lot from others here.

-Ed

I have a Droid, with the latest version of Android installed (2.1), and have the same problem. There used to be an option to display local search results in the Google maps application, but now, mapping is performed in the browser.

The fix you describe hasn't worked for me.