Andrew Heinzman
During its I/O 2022 event, Google announced several exciting features for Google Maps. And my favorite of those features, the 3D “Immersive View,” is finally getting a soft launch on Android and iOS. It lets you fly around famous monuments in a photo-realistic 3D setting, with moving traffic, rippling water, and other animated effects.
Users on Android and iOS can now get a 3D aerial view of around 100 famous landmarks, including Big Ben and the Empire State Building. These 3D environments are rendered using AI and thousands of real-world images, and in Google’s words, they should help tourists “with the trip-planning process.”
Now, this is not the full version of Immersive View. It’s simply a preview of what’s to come. Google plans to offer aerial views of nearly all locations through Immersive View, allowing users to see a neighborhood or city block and investigate stores, parking lots, and so on.
Along with this Immersive View preview, Google is adding traffic, stairs, and other obstacles to Cycling in Maps. It’s also re-launching Street View locations in India, which were previously shut down by privacy laws in 2016.
Your phone should receive the Immersive View preview in the coming days. To test it, open Maps on your Android or iOS device and navigate to a well-known landmark. Then, check the photos to activate a 3D aerial view.
Source: Google
