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Google Street View in 2026

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Re: Google Street View in 2026

#2
Apologies as this is fairly tangential:

There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them.

And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up.

Imagine expending that much development time and effort for something you're not even sure is there. And somehow I still find it enviably cool.

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#4
post #2

Apologies as this is fairly tangential: There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them. And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up. Imagine expending that much development time and effort for somethin…

Sounds awesome, is there a video of it I could watch somewhere?

Edit: for those who didn't know, like me, apple's maps are available at https://maps.apple.com. You can see this yourself. The effect is unvelievably smooth compared to what Google maps have

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#5
post #2

Apologies as this is fairly tangential: There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them. And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up. Imagine expending that much development time and effort for somethin…

Oh wow I hadn’t noticed that. It’s especially noticeable when “walking” down the street between points.

I’m so glad to finally have that feature in my area. It was the one thing I missed from Google Maps which I otherwise avoid.

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#6
post #4
post #2

Apologies as this is fairly tangential: There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them. And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up. Imagine expending that much development time and effort for somethin…

Sounds awesome, is there a video of it I could watch somewhere? Edit: for those who didn't know, like me, apple's maps are available at https://maps.apple.com . You can see this yourself. The effect is unvelievably smooth compared to what Google maps have

Oh that’s right, I always forget they have it on the web.

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#7
post #2

Apologies as this is fairly tangential: There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them. And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up. Imagine expending that much development time and effort for somethin…

Drag two fingers on the map and you'll bring the camera down to see the 3D effect more clearly.

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#8
post #2

Apologies as this is fairly tangential: There's a parallax effect in Street View on Apple Maps that separates out the layers of every image. Things like lampposts or telephone poles all rotate slightly differently to whatever is behind them. And it's such a subtle effect that I still break my brain trying to determine whether or not I've made it up. Imagine expending that much development time and effort for somethin…

I love this and share the experience! It is a very cool effect, specially when moving through the street.

Re: Google Street View in 2026

#10
Street View is such a missed opportunity. In 2007 it was visionary and essential to create the map data that allowed Google Maps to win. In 2026 it is a symbol of Google's stagnation. Essentially zero improvement in user experience for more than a decade, in a time of incredible advancements in computer vision.

By now we should all be flying around the planet in a seamless 3D reconstruction unifying street level and satellite views and allowing smooth free camera motion all the way from space to the front door of buildings and even inside. Many years ago I saw internal Google demos of dramatically improved Street View rendering, none of which ever made it to production. Google has consistently failed to recognize the value of the product and systematically underinvested in the user experience.

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