Google Maps is a popular navigation application that is free to use. But like many of Google's other services, Maps relies on advertising to stay afloat. The search giant is reportedly testing a new advertising format that displays pop-up ads during navigation, reminding users to take a detour to places the merchant has paid them to go.
Google Maps user Anthony Higman was the first to discover and post about the new ad format on X (formerly Twitter), which offers Cancel and Add Stop options for adding sponsored locations to navigation routes. According to Higman, when he passed a gas station near Atlantic City, a pop-up advertisement for a convenience store chain automatically appeared.
Higman clarified that he was not "entering anything about gasoline or food or anything" during this period and said the form of advertising was "super distracting."
Google has long used local business ads to direct users to call or visit sponsored locations. Ads on Google Maps can appear as highlights on the map or in search results when users search for nearby businesses, such as searching for "coffee near me."
While this kind of pop-up ad may be rare on Google Maps, the search giant has previously tested it on another of its navigation apps, Waze. It's unclear whether Google has selected a limited number of users for testing or whether the new ad format will reach more users in the coming days.