Google has added Street View, its panoramic ground-level mapping service, to its iPhone and iPad web app. That should hopefully ease the pain currently being experienced by iOS 6 users who found Street View missing following the September update. When Apple ditched Google as their mapping data provider and created the new, and controversial iOS 6 Maps app, they lost Street View and instead offered Flyover, which is nowhere near as useful. Thankfully Google has added a nice feature for iOS users.
Street View allows you to visually inspect a location, move down a street, turn around, and zoom into place you were planning to visit. If you were unsure what a building, shop, or restaurant looked like, Street View could help make sure you recognized it when you got there. And now, when you visit Google Maps in Safari on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you will see the familiar symbol of a person that you can click on and it takes your straight to Street View.
It works very well and the Google web app does offer a nice alternative to Apple’s own native maps app. Of course it is still nowhere near as good an experience as the previous native Google Maps app that we had with iOS 5. It will help to ease the pain while waiting for Apple to improve its offering or Google getting a dedicated Google Maps app into the App Store. Either way, it all helps!
You can also create a short cut to the Google Maps web app right on your iPhone home screen. Selecting this option will give you a rather bland, black and white Google Maps icon on your home screen with a red push pin, but it’s better than nothing.
Reader comments
Google adds Street View to iPhone and iPad web app
Google is not doing this because they are nice guys. They only care about tracking you, and selling your info. Over a year ago I left google completely. I canceled my gmail account, I even started using bing search, and bing maps. About six months later I noticed that the spam I was reviving had dramatically reduced.
Cool story bro...
And Microsoft isnt interested in tracking you and selling your info? Fact is, whenever you use someones 'free' service you can bet your sweet bippy they will be monetizing that on the other side, and all of them say so in not so few words in the agreement you click through when you go to use them. 'All your information on and use of this service are belong to us'.
Everybody on the web is tracking you and selling your info, that's why we've got all those free services like Facebook, Bing, Pinterest etc. Some, like Apple, even charge you AND track you. If you are worried about being tracked and having your info sold, don't use the web at all.
It's fast on the new iPhone.
can someone tell me how to get the Street views. To me it still looks the same, no "symbol of a person" to be seen!
Same here on my iPhone 5 and new iPad.
And for the record? When I look at maps.google.com on my iPhone here at work, it shows four businesses (not including mine - mine is no where to be found) and three of the four haven't been here since, at latest, 2007. Just sayin' - it isn't only Apple Maps that have issues.
Ok, it doesn't work (that I've found) if you are just browsing. If you enter an address, it will be there at the bottom.
It shows up on this 3rd gen iPad as a little blue man in the lower right corner of the screen - not on the info window like in the app.
Tried it, in my area Apple still has a better system.
Street View is nice but it is not a necessity for me. Besides, I'm enjoying a Google free life anyway even though some days I want to go back. There ought to be some kind of 12 step program for former Google crackheads like myself.
Unfortunately it does not work for me. I'm in the UK. It does not work even if I look at a US street.
Try tapping on a business or place on the map so that a red marker appears. Then click on the person icon bottom-right. It'll take you into Street View (I'm in the UK btw).
Same principle as the old app, except the old app let you add a marker anywhere, not just where there was a business.
Thanks, youngpip, that works. It also works if you enter an address. But I still pine for the old Google Maps native app.......
No street view for me either.
It must use Apple's map for Street View, because it has the same mapping errors for my hometown that Apple has. The regular map is correct, the street view map has the wrong name.
nowhere near as good an experience as the previous native Google Maps app? You make it sound like the previous was actually useful and provided turn-by-turn navigation. I realize the tech media is an echo chamber but the hyperbole and angst about the maps is too much to stomach.
Please understand: For those of us with the iPhone 4, we didn't get anything GOOD out of this map changeover. The "turn-by-turn" for us on the 4 is basically the same as it was with the original map app, except now I can't find Points-of-interest (like restaurants) and don't receive accurate traffic info in my area. Google adding this web app is benefiting us that used Maps to find things, not just as a GPS (I use the Garmin app for that anyway). I understand wanting to back Apple, I am an Apple fan; but I am a fan based on their quality of previous products. The lack of data within this map app is not anywhere near Apple's traditional level of quality. That is why people are voicing anger.
Yea, I'm not sure I get that either. I guess for some (in specific markets, like SF and NYC), the transit data was excellent. But I hardly ever used Maps under iOS5 because I thought the UI and features were so poor compared to just using the web version (I was always frustrated I got sent to the app).
For me, the new Maps app works fairly well and the transit info (with 3rd party) is better than previously, so I actually use it. The underlying data needs correction for some points of interest, but the app generally works fairly well.
"will give you a rather bland, black and white Google Maps icon on your home screen with a red push pin".
FWIW, mine gave me a map with roads, lake & red push pin. Looks pretty good.
No sooner do I post this and then find out that the icon on my home screen has apparently dynamically changed to a black & white "g" logo with a red push pin. You win :-D
I didn't know the icon could change.
This iPhone looks like it has edge to edge display!
I tried searching for my office block, if I look up the street my office block is there and I can see it, but if I then turn back to look down the road, it shows my office block under construction, one look up the road I see my finished building, look the other way down the road and my office block isnt built yet!
I personally am loving the Apple Maps, and will continue to use them.. I use Tom Tom too and when I have found an issue I report it, and will just report to Apple each time I find something wrong, if every one did that, then Apple Maps would be as good as anyone else's
One thing I find a tad bit funny in all of this, is that the other day, there was some article about it only taking Google like a week with 3 people to make the original iOS app (I believe it... it showed!). Now, they say it will be months before they get an iOS 6 version out. Heh. Politics? (not that I blame them) Incredible new features that actually took some time, this time? (I guess we can hope)
I think that Apple wrote the old Maps app (but using Google data).
Everyone is upset over the iOS Map App but I'm more upset that we still don't have a YouTube App for the iPad! How long does it take Google to update the current YouTube App to work on the iPad? I know they're lazy when it comes to updating their cheap Android phones OS but they can't even update just 1 App, WTF?!
+1
Why don't you wait til Google finishes updating their "cheap Android phones" before expecting an update to your "1 App".
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sadly, this is just a stop gap. what we REALLY need is Google to put out a native google maps for iOS and for apple to approve it (would take a load off apple while they improve their own maps)... the "suggested" 3rd party solutions are a joke honestly... i'm glad apple maps at least works decent where i'm at... have used turn-by-turn a bunch, even in betas, and hasn't steered me wrong... YET... ;)