Google will now show you how busy a store is in real time

Just in time for Black Friday, Google has rolled out a new feature that shows in real time how busy a store is.

Last year, Google launched its Popular Times feature, which until now only showed when a store or restaurant was typically busy. The latest feature, however, displays an estimate of how crowded a place is right now, perfect for those wanting to know where to head next on their shopping trip.

The way it works, the search giant says, is it “uses aggregated and anonymized data from users who have chosen to opted in to Google Location History.” In other words, your phone’s GPS is telling on you.

To use the feature, simply search for a store in your phone’s browser. When you tap on the store you’re looking for, scroll down to Popular Times.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Google will now show you how busy a store is in real time."