Google Maps Street View gains a new time travel feature going back to 2007

Google is celebrating 15 years of Street View by announcing a time travel feature of sorts, allowing people to scroll back and see how things looked at various points between now and 2007.

Google announced the change via blog post, saying that it's now "easier than ever to travel back in time right from your phone."

When you're viewing Street View imagery of a place, tap anywhere on the photo to see information about the location. Then tap "See more dates" to see the historical imagery we've published of that place, dating back to when Street View launched in 2007. Browse each of the images to see a digital time capsule that shows how a place has changed — like how the Vessel in New York City's Hudson Yards grew from the ground up.

Google also announced a new Street View camera that will allow it to capture more Street View imagery than ever before. It can be fitted to any car and weighs just 15 pounds, making it more portable than ever before. Google says we can expect it to be used in areas that would normally go unmapped, including the Amazon jungle.

Finally, a bit of fun. Google says that to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of Street View's launch, we can all set a Street View car as our mapping icon!

In celebration of Street View's birthday, you'll have the opportunity to make your navigation icon a celebratory Street View car – just tap the chevron when you're in driving navigation. And on desktop, our beloved Pegman – who you can pick up and drop anywhere in Maps to see Street View – will be dressed up in a birthday hat and balloons for the celebration.

Google Maps is still one of the best iPhone navigation apps around — and being able to drive around in a Street View car makes it even better!