4 new updates that make Maps look and feel more like the real world

Google Maps has always pushed the boundaries of what a map can do. Features like live traffic transformed how people get from point A to B, and insights like busyness information changed the way people make decisions about where to go. At Search On, we shared how we’re reimagining Google Maps yet again, with a visual and intuitive map that allows you to experience a place as if you’re there — all thanks to the newest advancements in computer vision and predictive models.

Get a vibe check before you visit 💯✅

If you’re visiting a new neighborhood, it can be hard to figure out what’s worth exploring, what’s new, and what the local gems are. Soon, with our new neighborhood vibe feature, you’ll be able to select a neighborhood and see the most popular spots come to life thanks to helpful photos and information from the Google Maps community right on the map. Say you’re on a trip to Paris — you can quickly know if a neighborhood is artsy or has an exciting food scene so you can make an informed decision on how to spend your time. To determine the vibe of a neighborhood, we combine AI with local knowledge from Google Maps users who add more than 20 million contributions to the map each day — including reviews, photos and videos. Neighborhood vibe starts rolling out globally in the coming months on Android and iOS.

Now live: 250 landmark aerial views around the 🌏

At I/O, we introduced immersive view, an entirely new way to explore the world, letting you see stunning multi-dimensional views of an area with critical information like the weather, traffic and busyness layered on top. Today, we’re launching over 250 photorealistic aerial views of global landmarks that span everything from the Tokyo Tower to the Acropolis — marking a significant step toward a more immersive map.

Using predictive modeling, immersive view automatically learns historical trends for a place to determine what an area will be like tomorrow, next week and even next month. So if you’re visiting San Francisco and want to visit Oracle Park, you’ll have all the information you need to plan your day. You’ll be able to see where the parking lots and entrances are and if the weather will be chilly on game day so you can bring a jacket. Need to find a bite to eat after the game? We make it easy to experience what restaurants are like nearby with the ability to glide down to street level, peek inside and know how busy it’ll be. Immersive view rolls out in the coming months in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo on Android and iOS.

A breakthrough for Live View 🙌

Beyond helping you experience a place before you visit, we’re also changing the way you explore it in the moment. Three years ago, we reinvented the way people orient themselves while walking with Live View, which overlays arrows and directions right on top of your world so you don’t get lost. Now, we’re expanding the underlying technology — the first of its kind to be available broadly — to launch a new feature called search with Live View, which helps you find what’s around you more intuitively.

Say you’re heading to an outdoor market and need to take cash out. With search with Live View, simply lift your phone to search and instantly see the ATMs in an area. You can also spot different places — including coffee shops, grocery stores and transit stations. We’ll show you business hours and how busy a place is, and you can tap on any location to view more details, like what services the barber shop down the street offers. Search with Live View starts rolling out in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo in the coming months on Android and iOS.

Helping companies and developers operate more sustainably ♻️

Recently, we launched eco-friendly routing in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, which uses a new routing model to let drivers see and choose the most fuel-efficient route to their destination, using insights from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and data from the European Environment Agency. Since launching in the U.S. and Canada, eco-friendly routing has helped remove an estimated half a million metric tons of carbon emissions — the equivalent of taking 100,000 fuel-based cars off the road. To drive an even bigger impact, we’ll soon expand this same technology to third-party developers through Google Maps Platform.

This means that companies of all sizes and industries — like delivery or ridesharing services — will have the option to enable eco-friendly routing in their apps and measure fuel consumption and savings for a single trip, multiple trips, or even across their entire fleet to improve performance. Developers will even have the ability to select an engine type to get the most accurate fuel or energy efficiency estimates when choosing an eco-friendly route. Eco-friendly routing for developers will be available in preview later this year, wherever it’s available on Google Maps.

With today’s announcements, we’re building a visual-first Maps experience that helps everyone explore and navigate the world more naturally — while getting there more sustainably.