Have you ever wanted to see what your apartment looked like in 2007?
This announcement comes on Google’s 15th anniversary celebration of Street View, the legendary feature that has allowed countless individuals to watch their own parents mowing their lawns while their faces were blurred. Users of Google Maps for iOS and Android will be able to access Street View photographs from past years.
Since 2014, Google Maps desktop users have been able to utilize Street View to view how a location has changed over time. While this has previously been possible only on the desktop version of Google Maps, it is now possible on iOS and Android apps. By selecting “see more dates” when in Street View mode, you can view a location’s historical picture by tapping anywhere on the screen. Street View images from 2007 are expected to be shown in regions where that is available.
Street View’s anniversary comes with the unveiling of a new, more portable 360-degree camera from Google. If you’ve ever wanted to take a picture of the world, you’ll need a huge camera-equipped backpack (called a Trekker) that weighs less than 15 pounds and measures “about the size of a house cat,” according to a Google blog post.
With this camera, Google will be able to take Street View imagery more frequently and more easily around the world. For example, Google can simply install its new camera into an existing vehicle instead of paying to transfer dedicated camera-equipped automobiles. As a result, it’s easy to anticipate what additional vehicles Google could mount the new camera to, given that Street View data has already been obtained using the existing bulky cameras, such as snowmobiles and Venetian gondolas.
Features of the New Portable Street View Camera
As the Google emphasizes the portability of the new camera, there are some other benefits that are listed below:
- Higher quality sensors
- Lower signal to noise
- More beautified images
- 7 camera sensors
- 140 MP resolution images
- Customizable features
How to use Google Street View’s ‘time travel’ feature?
When you’re viewing Street View imagery of a place, you can tap anywhere on the snapshot to discover information about the spot.
Under the function, you simply press ‘See more dates’ to see the historical imagery accessible, dating back to when Google started Street View in 2007.
The unique technology will allow you to browse each of the photographs, producing a “a digital time capsule that depicts how a place has changed.”
Street View is a really helpful feature and a pleasant novelty. But for Google, having cameras wandering the streets is also a handy means of boosting its Google Maps data. Street View photography is used to add newly opened businesses to Google Maps, provide information about business opening hours, and offer speed limit information on roads.
Finally, another excuse to lose hours staring at your phone.
