Google Maps unveils all-new experience for iPhone and Android users

THE LATEST exciting addition to Google Maps lets you explore new areas in an immersive new view. Here's how it will work on Android and iPhone.

google maps experience iphone android users

Google Maps' new Immersive View brings together a 3D view of the space as well as info on traffic (Image: GOOGLE • GETTY)

Google just unveiled an exciting new feature for Google Maps that offers a real-life look at new places before you leave the house. If you think that sounds familiar, Google Maps already offers its Street View feature, which lets you enjoy a street-level of towns and cities across the globe. The new option – dubbed Immersive View – offers a higher vantage point, so you're hovering over the buildings.

Unlike Street View, Google will overlay information about the traffic conditions onto Immersive View, so you'll be able to work out the best time to visit a local business or avoid traffic jams while enjoying the vantage point.

While Street View relies on photographs taken from customised cars and backpacks, Immersive View takes a very different approach. Google says it combines satellite and Street View imagery to create its Immersive View experiences, which also rely heavily on computer-generated elements. If you want a closer look at any point, you can descend from Immersive View down to the existing Street View feature to check for street signs, door numbers and other smaller details that are more easily visible from that perspective.

google maps experience iphone android users

Immersive View combines satellite and Street View imagery. It even simulates weather (Image: GOOGLE)

Google revealed the all-new feature for Google Maps during its latest developer conference, dubbed Google IO, which took place in California last week. Google uses the keynote to reveal its new low-cost Pixel 6a smartphones, noise-cancelling Pixel Buds Pro wireless earbuds, and offer a very brief glimpse at its first smartwatch, which will ship later this year alongside the Pixel 7.

Likewise, Google Maps' Immersive View won't arrive until later this year. And even then, it will be pretty limited at launch. Due to the vast amount of processing required to stitch together the Street View and satellite photography with three-dimensional versions of local architecture, Immersive View will only be available in a few spots at launch.

google maps experience iphone android users

Immersive View isn't available quite yet, but it will work on both iOS and Android (Image: GOOGLE)

At launch, you'll be able to test it out in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. However, Google has promised that more neighbours will be coming soon.

Google Maps is no longer a simple navigation app for turn-by-turn directions when walking, cycling, driving or using public transport. Instead, it's rapidly becoming a bona fide platform for Google. As well as the announcement of Immersive View, which is designed to be used to explore new areas, Google is allowing third-party developers to tap into its Live View AR feature to create games. Like Pokémon Go, game developers will be able to overlay three-dimensional elements onto the world around you.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?