Google Maps gets major makeover! Sundar Pichai reveals new features; here is what you get

In a major announcement at the Google I/O 2023 developer conference, CEO Sundar Pichai has rolled out massive new features for Google Maps, thereby ensuring a transformative experience for users worldwide. The immersive and live view application has received a significant overhaul, introducing new features and improvements that promise to enhance the user experience like never before. Pichai took to the stage to address a captivated audience of developers, tech enthusiasts, and journalists, detailing the key advancements that will reshape the way we navigate the world.

During his keynote speech, Pichai highlighted the importance of Google Maps as an essential tool for billions of people worldwide. He emphasised the company's commitment to continually improving the platform, ensuring that it remains the go-to application for accurate mapping and real-time navigation.

What are the major features Google Maps gets with the latest update?

One of the most prominent updates to Google Maps is the features like search with Live View and Immersive View for places. Now with Immersive View for routes, you can visualise every segment of a route before you go — whether you're driving, walking or cycling.

How Does Immersive View Feature Work?

Immersive View uses computer vision and AI to fuse billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world. With this technology, you can see all the information you need about your route at once. When you get directions, you’ll see a multidimensional experience that lets you preview bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections and parking along your journey. With the time slider, you’ll see air quality information and how the route looks as the weather changes throughout the day, so you can be prepared with a jacket or sunscreen.

And no matter what mode you take, AI and historical driving trends simulate how many cars might be on the road at a given time — because a route during a quiet afternoon can look very different during rush hour. This immersive experience promises to eliminate confusion and make exploring new places more intuitive.

Aerial View API

Google Maps also unveiled its latest update: the Aerial View API. This cutting-edge technology allows developers to seamlessly integrate immersive 3D birds-eye videos of points of interest into their applications, providing users with enhanced visual information about a particular location.

As the Aerial View API enters its preview phase, developers worldwide eagerly anticipate the full release. Google Maps continues to push the boundaries of mapping technology, empowering developers to create innovative applications that revolutionise the way we navigate and explore our world.

Key takeaways

In short, the upgraded version of Google Maps will be gradually rolled out to users in the coming weeks, with availability varying based on regions. As people eagerly anticipate experiencing the new features firsthand, it is evident that Google Maps is evolving into a more dynamic and indispensable tool for modern navigation anywhere in the world.