Google’s Immersive View is an exciting feature that brings a new way to explore places on Google Maps. It uses advanced AI and cutting-edge computing technologies to stitch together billions of aerial and street photos to create a realistic-looking model of the location. If you also want to try Immersive View on your iPhone or Android device, here’s how to use Immersive View on Google Maps.
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Use Immersive View in Google Maps to Explore a Location
Immersive View in Google Maps is available only in select cities (read FAQs for more). If you reside in one of these cities or are planning a trip there, you can take full advantage of this feature. With that clarification in mind, let’s proceed by following the steps below:
1. Open Google Maps on your iPhone or Android device and search for a city that supports an immersive view. In this guide, we will use Paris as an example.
2. Now tap on the landmark icon and if it supports an immersive view, you’ll see the Immersive View label right below the Directions button.
3. Tap on it to enter into the immersive view.
4. Once there, you can use the gestures to rotate, zoom in, and zoom out.
5. You can even check the weather forecast of the location by tapping on the Time & Weather button. After that, drag the slider to check the weather condition at the displayed time. This will also dynamically change the background scenes based on the weather conditions. The slider also offers additional valuable information, including a blue line indicating light rain and an orange line signifying increased crowds at the location.
Furthermore, by tapping the small down arrow next to the time, you will be presented with the option to select the forecast for other days as well.
Tip: Learn how to delete and turn off location history on Google Maps.
Use Immersive View in Google Maps to View Inside Buildings
In addition to exploring the location in a 3D model, the immersive view also lets you look inside the building, provided it supports it. Here’s how it works:
1. When you’re in immersive mode, you will also see some nearby places with orange color bubbles which let you virtually view its interior.
Note: Not all businesses or buildings support the immersive view.
2. As an example, let’s consider Velvet Restaurant near the London Eye. When you tap on it, the app will zoom in to showcase the building. If you see a black bubble below the location mark, that means you can explore the interior of the building. However, be careful not to confuse the one that has an arrow icon inside the bubble, as that represents the Street View feature.
3. Now, simply tap on the black bubble, and you will be instantly teleported inside the venue. Once inside, use the on-screen joystick (circle with two arrows) located at the bottom of the screen to control your movement. Additionally, you can drag the screen to explore your surroundings and get a 360-degree view.
Tip: Know the major difference between Google Maps and Google Maps Go.
Things to Consider While Using Immersive View
Immersive View is undoubtedly an impressive feature to explore. However, there are a few things to keep in mind while using immersive view on Google Maps, such as:
- You will lose a significant amount of data while using the immersive view feature than the standard mode of Google Maps.
- You need a high-speed internet connection to download high-resolution images or models.
- If your phone is running on a weak or less powerful processor, it will take time to render the graphics and display the immersive view properly.
- While using immersive view, your device battery will drain more quickly than the standard mode of Google Maps.
- The quality of the images/3D models in an Immersive View may differ based on the specific location.
FAQs
1. How much data does Google Maps’ immersive view consume?
Well, the amount of data it consumes might vary depending on your device, network connection, location you’re viewing, and how long you’re using the feature. However, during our testing with the app, we found that it consumed around 800 MB to 1 GB of data within 1 hour. If you’re concerned about data usage, you can use Immersive View over Wi-Fi instead of cellular data.
2. When will Google Maps’ immersive view be available in my area?
There isn’t a direct answer to this question. We have already listed down all the cities where the immersive view feature is available. If your city isn’t on the list, you can either patiently wait for the official launch or manually search for a city or landmark that is known to support the feature. Once available, you will see a small “Immersive View” icon below the Direction button.
3. How many location supports Google Maps Immersive View?
At the time of the announcement, it was restricted to a handful of cities. However, more cities have been added like Los Angeles, London, Seattle, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Florence, Dublin, and Venice.
Embarking on the Journey with Immersive View!
Immersive View is relatively a new feature in Google Maps and is not available everywhere. However, if you’re planning a trip to any of the supported cities, we are sure this feature will come in handy. It will allow you to see a 3D model of a location before you visit in person. In the future, Google is even planning to launch the Immersive View for routes that will provide a 3D view of your entire route on Google Maps.
If you want to get pro at using Google Maps, learning the meanings and use cases of each icon and symbol in the app will greatly enhance your navigation skills.
