I want to share a Google maps hack I executed recently. I think it was a super fun one! 😄 So story goes like...there is a mobile/laptop repair store in a market around 8kms far from my place. My brother had given a laptop for repair there but accidently misplaced the receipt that store gave and hence their contact number. Now he wanted to contact that store to get an update and doesn't have their contact number anymore! What do we do? Let the hacking beging! 😎

Chapter 1 #

Obviously I opened Google maps first to search for mobile and computer repair stores in that area. I know the exact geolocation of that store. So I could localize my search. Now, remember that we don't even know the name of that store 😅 Since I didn't know the name of the store, I couldn't search it by name. So I checked out all stores that came in my search, checked their pictures to identify.
Unfortunately, that store isn't listed on Google and hence no luck in the search!

Chapter 2 #

While wandering in Google maps, the street view icon caught my attention. I had played with the street view before one or two times but never for any use case. In fact, when I tried it this time I actually realized it worked pretty good in my location (Uttar Pradesh, India) too!
As soon as I entered the street view, I realized I can just walk down the street to that shop! Good thing is that in India, almost every shop has their contact number on their signboard. Ray of hope! ⛅ And so I started walking happily (and digitally) in the market streets to reach that shop and there it was. But wait! That particular shop doesn't have their contact number on their sign board...what!!!

But, their name was on the signboard. Ah...at least some information.

Chapter 3 #

The next immediate thing I did was to google the name of the store. And weird enough, the store was listed on Google. Not sure why it didn't shop in the map search earlier. But this was of no use because they had not put their contact number in the google listing. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Chapter 4 #

I was clueless now. I didn't want to drive down the market just to ask the store for an update! Then I started thinking if I know someone there who could fetch me the store's contact number. At one point I was even thinking of asking in my society's whatsapp group if anyone is going to that market...and ask them a favour! 😆

Just then it clicked me - why not ask another shop besides it to get my store's number?? Yeah, why not! Most people would say no, but someone might just agree. To maximise my success chances here I felt that only a small roadside thela (mobile/portable shop) person could be helpful here. Someone who is nearby to that store and also mobile n humble enough to do me a favour. I remembered there are a lot of such mobile street-side tempered-glass shops. They could be my saviour!

So I went inside the street view again, started walking down the street from the target store...in search for that tempered-glass thela. And there it was - I had found one! This wasn't enough though. That thela had to satisfy either of the following 2 conditions for me to contact it. Either:

• have itself listed on google
• or have a signboard and its phone number on the signboard

It wasn't listed on Google...as expected. Fortunately, it had a small signboard and...its phone number written on it too! WOhoo! First hundle cleared! 🏁

This is that shop:

Final chapter #

The final step was to contact this shop person, ask him for a favour and hope that he agrees to it 🤞🏼. I called the shop, explained my situation and requested him to get that store's number. I even said I am ready to pay him for his time...but he humbly said no to it. 🙂 He said I am just setting my shop for the day and will get the number in half an hour. I waited impatiently like a child waiting for exam results 😅.

And almost after half an hour, I got a whatsapp message from the shop guy - he had sent me a number! 🥳 Jackpot!

I am so happy with this hack I pulled off sitting on my couch at home. Made me wonder (yet again) how technology has enabled us so much! This was fun and hope you had fun reading it too! Until next time. 👋🏼