Google Maps Will Give You 1TB Of Free Storage In Exchange For Restaurant Reviews

What’s a technology company trying to break into the restaurant review game to do when not enough people are willing to submit restaurant reviews?

If you’re Google, you give out a bunch of free storage.

In an effort to beef up its “Local Guides” feature, Google Maps is dangling some incentives for people who submit information about businesses in their neighborhoods.

Local Guides allows users to share information directly to Google Maps, in what the company calls “a global community that helps you explore the world while earning perks. The feature is clearly intended to keep users within the Maps app, instead of using services like Foursquare and Yelp to look up reviews.

Each contribution type — “writing reviews, uploading photos, adding new places, fixing outdated information, and answering simple questions” — is worth one point, and you can earn up to five points per location.

As a reward for contributions, Google is implementing a multi-level rewards system that includes things like the chance to enter exclusive contests for new devices, or early access to those products. The rewards increase in value as you collect points: at level four, Google will give folks one terabyte of Google Drive storage (which usually costs $9.99 per month). The final reward? The chance to apply to attend a Local Guides summit in 2016 at the company’s headquarters in California.

Once you sign-up, download the latest Google Maps update on Android and iPhone to follow your progress on the new Contributions tab. Your total points, level, and to-do list—suggestions for places to contribute to—conveniently appear together in one place. And when you share photos, you'll now see view counts, giving you an idea of how many people your image may have helped. To learn more about how to contribute and unlock benefits, visit our website or Help Center.

Here’s Google’s breakdown of the reward levels:

• Level 1 (0 – 4 points): Enter exclusive contests (think new Google devices!) in select countries.
• Level 2 (5 – 49 points): Get early access to new Google products and features.
• Level 3 (50 – 199 points): Show up in the Google Maps app with your official Local Guides badge.
• Level 4 (200 – 499 points): Receive a free 1 TB upgrade of your Drive storage, allowing you to keep all the stories, photos, and videos from your travels in one safe place.
• Level 5 (500+ points): The very top Local Guides will become eligible to apply to attend our inaugural summit in 2016, where you’ll be able to meet other top Guides from around the world, explore the Google campus, and get the latest info about Google Maps. Look out for details early next year.