Google Field Trip and Geo-Restricted Android Apps in Canada

What was the problem?

The app did not appear in the Canadian store. The author understood the reason: there was little or no local content in Canada, so the service would be a ghost town. Still, the author argued that a warning would be better than hiding the app entirely, since many people travel to the United States and could use it there.

What Field Trip does

As far as the author could tell, Field Trip is like a proactive mix of Wikipedia and Zagat, combined with Google Now. When you arrive somewhere worth knowing about, it shows a card with details about what is nearby. It works like a layer for maps that alerts you.

• Get directions to a place.
• Read reviews.
• Share a place with others.

Near the author’s home in Northwestern Ontario there was nothing nearby except in Minnesota. An update noted that parts of Toronto and Montreal did show Wikipedia and Zagat entries.

Why this happens

Apps are often restricted by country because the service behind them depends on local data, licences or agreements. Many non-Canadian apps could be installed by other means, but the service they connect to may not work. Treat installs from unofficial sources with caution.