Tuesday 17 October 2017

Google Maps ditches misleading walking calorie counter.

An online backlash prompted the change.

Google is ditching a planned feature for Maps following criticism on social media. The update was tied to directions and displayed how many calories you'd burn if you were to walk to your destination. By clicking on the walking option, you'd even be shown the calories in equivalence to mini cupcakes (of all things). Chances are, the search juggernaut was trying to encourage people to take the active route as opposed to driving. But, its attempt at promoting a healthy lifestyle didn't go down well online. A number of people lambasted the feature on Twitter, claiming it would "shame" and even "trigger" those with eating disorders.

Taking note of the negative reaction, Google is now dumping the experiment. It confirmed to Engadget that the update was briefly tested on iOS, and has been abandoned based on user feedback.



By Saqib Shah.

Full story at EnGadgets.

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