I have been tracking my “Most viewed” photos over time, but I noticed that some of them have stopped updating. On November 10, 2022, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, located at 3421 E Broadway Blvd #101, Tucson, AZ, had 1,946,997 views. By January 1, 2023, the view count had increased to 2,182,408, which averages to roughly 4,500 views per day.
On June 10, 2023, the photos had reached 2,914,219 views, maintaining the same average of approximately 4,500 views per day. However, between June 10, 2023, and February 7, 2025, the total views stopped accumulating at 3,452,196. The period between these two dates is 608 days. Given the consistent average of 4,500 daily views for this establishment, the expected total views on February 7, 2025, should be 5,650,219.
@RaymonCruise
Honestly, I think it is unlikely that the way of counting views used in the past was realistic.
I have always found it impossible that after a few seconds a newly published image could have a dozen views.
A photo of mine of a medical analysis clinic in the city of Padua (one of many) in a few months had reached half a million views, when the total number of inhabitants of the city (including newborns and the elderly) barely exceeds two hundred thousand.
Currently that image has a number of views (almost a million) that is higher than the number of inhabitants of the entire province. Views, obviously, reached almost all before the change in count.
So I think the previous count was “inflated”, and the current one seems much more realistic to me.
I had never thought about this, and I never thought about adding photos to get more views. As I said, I live in a small province, and when I upload an image of a small business that has no photos or only a couple, I’m happy to have helped them.
I hope that the number of views can be a stimulus “only” to upload good quality content. Unfortunately, what I see here in Connect is that, especially those who write to celebrate views, often upload a lot of useless, similar, duplicate photos, thinking they will get more views.
I’m not talking about you, your photos are beautiful, well-groomed, of excellent quality, (even if some violate the rules on duplication of content) so I think you understand what I mean.
Very well said, @ErmesT and I absolutely agree! Hundred views for a recently opened store in my neighborhood are worth more than 100,000 for a restaurant in a well known tourist area.
I can only shake my head reading complaints about the “unsolved bug of Feb 2023”. In reality the error was to publish unrealistic numbers before that date and raising the expectations of many local guides. In that respect @RaymonCruise is right that many got disappointed, but mainly because of a lack of proper explanations regarding that change.
I have significantly contributed new locations to Google Maps because I take pride in helping others find nearby places while traveling or planning trips. I frequently rely on Google Maps for keyword searches to identify locations.
However, I must assert that the new counting system is not functioning consistently. Take, for instance, the photo at https://maps.app.goo.gl/L8qrE97hTH5U8SpF6; it serves as the featured image for an immensely popular restaurant chain that operates in California, Arizona, and Nevada. The view count for this photo has remained stuck at 3,452,196 for over 133 days, which is clearly unrealistic given the popularity of this establishment.
