Android users can now contribute to Street View

Many of us have certainly used Google’s Street View feature at least once to find a building, a street, a place of interest or simply to explore and discover new places. For those who do not know this tool, since 2007 Google has made available to computers, tablets and smartphones a completely free service that offers 360-degree panoramic views, so you can visit in a fast, easy and virtual way almost all the streets around the world through Google Earth and Google Maps. 

Google cars, its trekkers and Google bikes that have the task to take pictures, have collected more than 170 billion images that reproduce about 10 million miles across the globe. Despite the great work done in recent years, there are still many areas to be mapped and for this reason Google has decided to count on the help of Android users. 

Anyone who has an Android device can now contribute to the creation and expansion of areas not yet available on Street View. Android users can take photos and videos via their smartphone only if the device supports ARCore, it is a Google software that uses innovative augmented reality technology (the same used for the Live View feature). Users, thanks to the latest version of the Street View application, can record videos and upload them to the Google server, after which the video is converted into several images that show reality in 3D. Google, thanks to some functions, ensures full respect for the privacy of all those who may appear in the photographs. 

“Now that anyone can create their own connected Street View photos, we can bring better maps to more people around the world, capturing places that aren’t on Google Maps or that have seen rapid change. All you need is a smartphone—no fancy equipment required.” 

This new Google feature, for the moment, is only available in Toronto, New York, Austin and Nigeria, Indonesia and Costa Rica. However, Google guarantees that users from many other countries will soon be able to collaborate and contribute with their images.