Google abandons 'too invasive' system which would have allowed stores to pinpoint exactly when a customer walked in and send ads to their phone

  • Could have shown users notifications when they enter a store
  • Project was axed by Alphabet CEO Larry Page
  • Claimed project was 'too invasive' and retailers would not sign up 

A secret Google project to allow retailers to send notifications to customer's phones when they entered a store has been shut down by Alphabet CEO Larry Page, it has been claimed.

The product was called Google Here, according to a document obtained by Fortune. 

It included partnerships with retailers, including Starbucks.

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The Google project to allow retailers to send notifications to customer's phones when they entered a store has been shut down by Larry Page for being 'too invasive' , it has been claimed.

The Google project to allow retailers to send notifications to customer's phones when they entered a store has been shut down by Larry Page for being 'too invasive' , it has been claimed.

HOW IT WORKED 

Google Here worked by sending a notification to a smartphone user's lock screen within five seconds of their entering a partner's location. If the user clicked on the notification, a full screen HTLM5 'app' experience would launch. 

Google Here would know when to send the notification via Google Maps and beacons placed in the stores of participating partners. 

According to Fortune, earlier this year, it was shut down by Alphabet CEO Larry Page for being 'too invasive, according to 'people familiar with the project'.

The product was called Google Here, according to a document obtained by Fortune that describes the project's specifications. 

The effort was being worked on by multiple departments and was led by Dan Cath, a strategic partner manager, and the Google Maps team, Fortune claims. 

Had it launched, Google Here would have been available to more than 350 million Android users by early 2015, with plans to support iOS later in the year.

But people familiar with the project say it was shut down for being potentially too invasive, and the company wasn't sure if many retailers would want it.

It would have worked using Bluetooth 'beacons', and Google planned to supply the beacons to partners for the launch, according to the document. 

However, the plans have not been abandoned - Google recently launched Eddystone, a developer project for Bluetooth low energy beacons that competes with Apple's iBeacon, a similar system.

According to Fortune, earlier this year, it was shut down by Alphabet CEO Larry Page for being 'too invasive, according to 'people familiar with the project'.

According to Fortune, earlier this year, it was shut down by Alphabet CEO Larry Page for being 'too invasive, according to 'people familiar with the project'.

It boasts of similar features.

'Give your users better location and proximity experiences by providing a strong context signal for their devices in the form of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons with Eddystone™, the open beacon format from Google,' Google says.

'Using the Nearby API, your Android or iOS app can then detect nearby beacons and use your attachments to deliver users a magical proximity-aware experience.

'Your users' devices can also use the beacons as a signal to improve other location-based tools, such as the Place Picker, which assists users in selecting nearby businesses or points of interest.'

 

 

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