Google sets photo spheres free with new Street View app and Google Maps support

By Robert Nazarian June 3, 2015

Nexus 5 with Photo Sphere

Photography enthusiasts have been sharing 360-degree, panoramic photo spheres with the world via a Google community called Views since July of 2013. Although photo spheres always seemed like a natural fit for Google Maps and Street View, Google initially chose to limit sharing to only the Views community. All that is going to change in August when a new Street View app arrives.

The Google Maps team finally announced in a Google+ post that users will now be able to share their photo sphere creations with Maps, and see those shared by Google and other contributors right in the new Street View app.

The Street View app will replace the Photo Sphere Camera app on iOS, and it will offer a camera mode for both iOS and Android users. For those of you who happen to have a spherical camera, the new app will also link to the NCTech iris360 and the Giroptic 360cam. Google says more cameras will be supported in the future.

The Views community will go offline in mid-August, but all the photos that reside there will be transferred to Google Maps, and they’ll still be hosted by Google+. Users can upload all future photo spheres via the Google Maps website or the new Street View app.

Photo spheres are something that a lot of people have forgotten about, and Google hopes this change will deliver a resurgence to the once popular feature.

Google also went ahead and announced changes to the Google Maps Business View. In mid-August, it will be re-branded to Street View | Trusted. The company will continue to work with pro photographers who contribute photo spheres to Google Maps, but the requirements will ease a bit. Google promises that enrollment will be easier and publishing requirements will be simpler, but it will continue to require high quality images.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Robert Nazarian

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Robert Nazarian became a technology enthusiast when his parents bought him a Radio Shack TRS-80 Color. Now his biggest…

Mobile

Apple and Google are going to need to open up their app stores in South Korea

Apple and Google will now be mandated to allow for alternate payment systems for apps in the App Store and Play Store, respectively, at least in South Korea. The move comes as part of an amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act that bars companies from forcing third-party developers to use their in-app payment systems for in-app purchases. It will also require app store operators to speedily approve apps and prevent them from deleting apps from the stores without a reasonable explanation, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Apple and Google's app store practices have come under scrutiny over the past few years. In addition to rules around what content may or may not be admitted, developers have increasingly expressed ire about the standardized 30% commission required for each in-app transaction. This comes as a result of both companies mandating the use of their respective billing systems, with exceptions being made to select types of apps (food delivery services, for example.)

Cars

Google deploys a Jaguar I-Pace as its first all-electric Street View car

Google Street View's first all-electric car, a Jaguar I-Pace.

Google has captured well over 10 million miles of global Street View imagery since its camera-equipped cars first hit the streets 14 years ago.

But despite the emergence of greener vehicle technology, the company has only now gotten around to deploying its first all-electric Street View car.

Mobile

Google Maps is getting improved Live View navigation, more detailed map data

google maps

Google is making Maps even more helpful than it already is. At Google I/O 2021, the company announced a series of updates to Google Maps that will make it more helpful in day-to-day life, and improve features like the augmented reality (AR) view that Google launched in Maps last year.

Perhaps the most notable change to Maps is that Google is adding more detail in several places. For example, Google Maps will now show users where things like crosswalks, street signs, and intersection markers are straight from the normal map view. As noted by Google at the event, this could be very helpful for parents with strollers, those in a wheelchair, or those who just want to plan their exact walk. The more detailed view was actually already announced by Google in August, but is now more rolling out to 50 more cities around the world.