Find places and plan routes with Maps

Ask Bearly about places and getting around, and it answers with current map data: places that match what you want, a place’s hours and ratings, what reviewers say, routes and travel times, and useful stops along a trip. Results appear as cards in the reply, with an interactive map where one helps.

Maps works in Bearly chats on the web, desktop, iOS, and Android, on every plan. It is not available to scheduled Routines. Team administrators can turn it off with the Maps team policy.

Find places

Ask in ordinary language. Name the area, or ask for places near you.

Find three quiet coffee shops near Union Square that are open now and have outdoor seating.

Bearly uses Maps on its own when a question needs it. To make sure it does, type /maps and select Maps under Research.

The places card shows the first three matches, with Show N more for the rest. Each row has the star rating and number of ratings, the price level, whether the place is Open now or Closed, the kind of place, and the address. Select a place to open it on a map in your browser.

You can narrow a search to places that are open now, have a minimum rating, or fall in a price range. For a search around one point, say the radius you want, up to 50 km (about 31 miles); the results then show each place’s distance.

Check one place

Ask about a specific place to see its details card: the address, Open in Maps, Website, the phone number, and Hours. Ask for amenities to see which apply, such as dine-in, delivery, takeout, reservations, outdoor seating, vegetarian options, or whether it suits children or groups.

What people say shows the number of ratings, a short summary of reviews with its source noted, and a sample of individual reviews. Select View on a review to read it in full, or All reviews to see every review.

Read the reviews

For a fuller picture than the summary, ask Bearly to read the reviews:

Read the reviews for Luna Bistro. What do people complain about most, and has that changed recently?

Bearly reads a broad mix of relevant, recent, and critical reviews and answers in the reply. The first batch can take about a minute.

Get directions

Ask for directions between two places, with up to three stops in order. Choose Driving, Walking, Cycling, or Transit; driving is the default and accounts for current traffic.

How long is the drive from the Ferry Building to Stanford if I leave at 4:30 pm tomorrow? Show me the alternatives.

The route card shows the Best route (for transit, Recommended) with its time and distance, Open in Maps, and any Alternatives with how much slower each one is. Transit routes list when to board, when you arrive, transfers, walking time, and the fare when it is known. Ask for turn-by-turn directions to add the steps.

You can set a departure time, or for transit, the time you need to arrive.

Compare trips and find stops

• Compare specific options. Ask Bearly to compare two to four trips, such as the same commute by car and by train. The card names the fastest and shows how much slower the others are.
• Measure many trips at once. Ask for travel times between several starting points and destinations, up to 10 of each, such as from each teammate’s neighborhood to three possible offices. Bearly answers in the reply.
• Find stops along a trip. Ask for a coffee stop, charging, or lunch on the way. The Stops on the way card lists places that need only a small detour, with Directions for the whole trip.

How Bearly uses your location

Bearly looks up your location only when you ask about something near you without naming a place. A place you name always takes priority, and Bearly reuses a location already in the chat.

It asks your device first, so your device or browser may ask for permission. If your device’s location isn’t available, Bearly estimates an approximate location from your network connection, which sends your public IP address to a location service. Bearly then tells you which area it’s using. If that’s wrong, reply with the city or neighborhood you mean.

The location Bearly used becomes part of the chat’s results, like any other result.

Limits

• Distances and times are in miles, and results are in English. Distances under 1 km in a nearby search show in meters.
• Routes can’t be set to avoid tolls, highways, or ferries.
• Maps reports current places and routes. It doesn’t estimate foot traffic, demand, rent, or zoning.
• How complete the results are depends on the map data for the area, especially for transit.
• Each lookup uses your plan allowance. Reading reviews takes the longest.

If Maps can’t answer

What you see	What to do
No matching places found.	Broaden the request: remove a filter, widen the area, or describe the kind of place differently.
No route found.	Check the start and end points, remove a stop, or try another travel mode.
A step says the map service is temporarily unavailable	Try again in a few minutes.
Bearly uses the wrong area for “near me”	Name the city or neighborhood in your next message.
/maps doesn’t appear	On a managed account, ask an administrator whether the Maps policy is on.