Washington DC’s Black Lives Matter street visible on Apple Maps, not on Google Maps yet

Apple Maps has updated its satellite imagery in Washington to show the Black Lives Matter street near White House. This link will show you the satellite image if you open it on Apple Maps, you won’t see it on Google Maps though. Road labels have also been updated to read ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’.

The words ‘Black Live Matter’ were painted across the street only a few days ago and Apple Maps has updated its satellite data already to make this show up on their app. Normally, it takes Apple or Google a little time to update images on their maps - most of what you will see on it are possibly a few years old.

Rather than getting an aerial photograph taken, Apple seems to have superimposed the Black Lives Matter composite onto the existing image. The words on the street were approved by the mayor of Washington DC in response to the military action seen in recent protests.

On Google Maps, the place data has been updated but they have not updated satellite imagery yet to show the newly painted street sign.

This is a part of Apple’s efforts in supporting the peaceful protests that have taken over the country following the death of George Floyd. Apple CEO Cook penned a letter recently where he called Floyd’s death a senseless killing. Apple has also participated in other racism awareness efforts like Blackout Tuesday.

Apple has had to shut stores across the US to prevent looters from breaking in and these boarded up storefronts have become canvases for artists to where they have made commemorative murals for Floyd’s death.