Google has announced the launch of its updated Street View for Google Maps on Android, which lets anyone contribute to Street View, using only their phone.
While Google’s iconic vehicles have long been in charge of capturing the photos used in its app, the new connected photos tool makes it easier than ever to collect one’s own Street View images and upload them on Google Maps.
Users can record a series of connected images while moving down a street or path, which are then captured using ARCore, the same augmented reality technology used in Live View.
Once the images are uploaded and published, the app automatically rotates, positions and create a series of connected photos on Google Maps, so the user’s Street View can be found in the same location where it was taken, for others to see and explore.
Prior to this, one would need special 360-degree cameras to capture and publish Street View imagery, often attached to the roof of one’s car, but the setup would cost thousands of dollars.
With democratising Street View photos, Google will now be able to offer better maps to more people around the world, even capturing places that don’t exist on Google Maps or have gone through significant changes – simply using a smartphone.
The connected photos beta feature is now available for people using the Street View app with an ARCore-compatible Android device in Toronto in Canada, as well as New York and Austin, Texus, in the US, along with Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica, with more to follow, soon.
