Google Maps announces new updates for its Live View feature

With new ways to use Live View, we're making it even easier to orient yourself in the world whether you're walking around, leaving a public transit station or meeting up with friends," Mirko Ranieri, Product Manager, Google Maps

San Francisco: Google has announced a few updates for the Live View experience in Google Maps including popular landmarks and location sharing features.

“With new ways to use Live View, we’re making it even easier to orient yourself in the world whether you’re walking around, leaving a public transit station or meeting up with friends,” Mirko Ranieri, Product Manager, Google Maps, said in a statement.

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Soon when a person is in Live View mode, the location of nearby landmarks will appear in order to help users find their bearings and navigate more confidently. Live View will show how far away landmarks are, as well as which direction to walk in to get there.

The feature includes other iconic landmarks as well as things like local parks and tourist attractions.

This capability will be live soon on Android and iOS in many cities worldwide including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Dubai, Florence, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York, Osaka, Paris, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, and Vienna, with more regional expansion set in the future.

Google is also integrating the Live View feature into the transit directions tab. This could be helpful if a person is only planning on walking for part of his or her route.

Live View in Location Sharing will also be available on Android and iOS in the near future. This was initially announced for the Pixel phones last month when Android 11 became available.

In addition, Maps also added improvements to its pin, taking into account the elevation of a place to more accurately display its location in Live View.