For more than 15 years, Google has been sending out vehicles to take photos of places like restaurants, apartments, parks and other cool stuff around the streets. When they revisit these same places in the future, they are gathering better quality images which you can see on Google Maps.
Did you know that Google Maps stores photos of your home dating back to 2007? You can easily find them using the special time-travel feature over on your phone or desktop! Hop onto Google Maps right now, and use the Street View feature. You’ll see a photo taken of your home in the last year or so – but if you wanna take it further, then click on this time-travel feature and have a look at what your house looked like more than 10 years ago.
While you’re here, it would also be a good idea to find out how to use Google Maps even if you don’t have internet connection and why it might be useful to hide your house address on Google Maps.
Explore Changes Throughout the Years with Google Maps Street View!
On the Google Maps app, type in an address or drop a pin to view photos of that place. After that, just click on the Street View preview above the info window. When you open it up, there will be a big map for you to look at.
When you open Street View, you should see a blue ‘See More Dates’ box appear at the bottom. If you tap it, you’ll find photos that were taken by Google for different months and years. Swipe to the left and the right if you want to go through multiple images. The photos show how things may have changed over the years – for example, one might be from 2008 and another could be from 2022.
The pictures you can see are not of the best quality if they are older, but you should be able to find photos as old as 2007. You’ll get new photos every couple of years. If you live in a big city, there will be even more Street View options available.
Find and View Old and Historical Locations on Google Maps Now!
Go to the Google Maps website on your computer and enter an address or click a point on the map. Once you have chosen a location, look for an image above the address at the left side and click on it. If it’s not a Street View picture, find and click ‘Street View & 360°’ and then you can view old images from that place.
On the top-left side of the map, you should see a gray box. Click it and then look to the bottom – there will be a set of pictures from the last few years. You can move through them by clicking with your mouse. The photo here is from Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2008!
Finished? Check out these three new Google Maps features you’ll definitely want to know about. Plus, this cheat sheet is filled with all the most helpful tips and tricks for using Google Maps.
This information was published online on March 21, 2023 at 12:21 p.m.
