Newsletter
Millions of people use Google Maps to map out their trips both near and far. Over the years, the platform has developed into an incredibly useful and intuitive tool, and it received a major upgrade called Immersive View. If you’re curious about what Immersive View is and how to use it, then you’ve come to the right place.
We’ll dive into what this tool is, how to use it, and why you might want to use it to plan your next trip. Also, we’ll explain some other interesting things that you can do in Google Maps. You might discover your new favorite feature within this app.
What is Immersive View?
So, let’s start off with what Immersive View is. Google introduced us to this feature back during Google I/O 2022. As the name suggests, it’s a way of getting a more immersive and in-depth view of certain locations around the world. Instead of merely showing a view of the location, you’re treated to a high-resolution render.
The camera will orbit around it giving you a 360° view of it. You’re still able to zoom in and out and move the camera up and down to get a better view of the location.
One thing to know is that this tool only includes a limited number of notable landmarks. The list is growing as we speak, but it’s more focused on famous landmarks. So, you’ll be using it to look at places like Madison Square Garden, The Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, and other places like that. You won’t be using it at your local supermarket or your apartment complex.
What information does it show?
This is one of the most interesting aspects of this feature. When you are in this mode, you’ll be able to see different locations around the landmark. Tapping on those locations will move the camera over to them and give additional information on them.
What makes Immersive View such an interesting feature is the real-time time and weather representation. You’ll be able to see what time it is, the position of the sun, and the weather in that location. All of the information is being streamed right to you in real time, so you’ll know how the conditions are at that moment.
How to access Immersive View
All of this sounds exciting, but how do you get to see it? Well, it’s pretty simple. As stated before, you can only use Immersive View on notable landmarks. At the time of the writing of this article, Google is still expanding this feature to more locations. So, there’s a chance that you won’t see your favorite landmark.
All you simply have to do is search for the location on the Google Maps app. For the time being, this feature is only available on the mobile app. We’re not sure if or when this feature will make it to the web version of Google Maps.
If you search up a supported landmark, you’ll see a panel rise from the bottom of the screen with pictures and videos of the location. You’ll see a 3D render of the location on the left side of the panel with a rotating camera. That tile will have the “Immersive View” text in it. Simply tap on it and you’ll see the feature fill the screen.
Right off the bat, it will show the location as it looks with the weather and time in your location. So, if it’s a sunny afternoon where you live, that’s how it will show the location. However, if you want to see the time and weather of the location as it is in real life, tap on the Time & Weather button on the bottom left of the screen.
When you do that, you’ll see the time and weather change to match how it is in real-time. You’re able to scroll the bar on the bottom to see the passage of time for that location. As you scroll, you’ll see the shadows move along with the sun, and it will also show how the stars will move as the night goes on.
Why should you use this feature?
Immersive View can be a very handy feature if you’re planning on traveling to a location. Say, you’re leaving for Paris, France via plane, and you want to know how the weather will be when you get there. Well, you can look up the Immersive View and scroll to the time you’ll be arriving. There, you’ll have a better idea of how things will look when you arrive.
Sure, you can check the weather forecast, but Immersive View is just so much cooler!
What other things can you do with Google Maps?
As stated, Google Maps is much more than a simple map application. It’s geared to provide a ton of useful information about different locations. There are several ways that you can use this platform, and here are a few of them.
Check the air quality
Using Google Maps, you’re able to check the quality of the air in different locations. This is good to know if you’re thinking of going into areas where there’s smog or other forms of air pollution. You’ll get an idea of how breathable the air is.
In order to access that view, you’ll want to access the different map types. If you’re using the app, tap on the button right under your profile picture. It’s the icon with two overlapping squares. On the tablet, it will be in the upper right corner.
This will pull up a panel showing the different map types. On the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the different types of details that you can access. Look for the Air Quality selection.
If you’re using the browser version, this will be on the bottom left of the screen. You’ll see a square with different map options.
When you look at the map again, you should see some icons depicting the air quality in that area. You’ll see different average numbers in different locations. The lower the number (or AQI) the more breathable the air is.
Check for wildfires
You can also use a similar tool to check for the spread of wildfires. Just like how you accessed the air quality mode, you’ll find the wildfire view. In fact, this button will be right next to the Air Quality button.
When you access this map, you’ll see red dots indicating where fires are. With any luck, you won’t find too many of these dots on the map.
Label locations
If there are locations that you want to mark down for future reference, it’s easy to do that. Simply search for and select the location that you want to mark down. If you’re using the mobile version, you’ll see a carousel of buttons on the bottom panel. You can swipe through them until you see the Save button.
If you’re using the browser version, you’ll see the panel slide out from the left. About halfway down the screen, you’ll see a row of buttons. The Save button will be one of them.
After you select that button, you’ll see a selection of different lists you can add to the location. You’ll see Favorites, Travel Plans, Want To Go, and Starred. Different lists don’t serve any different functions. They all just keep a record of the locations so that you can easily access them later. If you want to, you can add your own list.
Conclusion
And, with that, you now have a better grasp of Immersive View and Google Maps in general. With this knowledge, go on and start planning your next trip.