Google is killing off the messaging service inside Google Maps

Google is killing off a messaging service! This one is the odd Google Business Messaging" service-basically an instant messaging client that is built into Google Maps. If you looked up a participating business in Google Maps or Google Search on a phone, the main row of buttons in the place card would read something like Call," Chat," Directions," and Website." That Chat" button is the service we're talking about. It would launch a full messaging interface inside the Google Maps app, and businesses were expected to use it for customer service purposes. Google's deeply dysfunctional messaging strategy might lead people to joke about a theoretical Google Maps Messaging" service, but it already exists and has existed for years, and now it's being shut down.

Ron Amadeo at Ars Technica

When it comes to Google, it's often hard to distinguish meme from reality.