Google Live View, announced at the beginning of the year, is now available in Google Maps as a new and innovative way of seeing the directions when walking. Thanks to augmented reality, When you ask Google Maps to give us directions for a route to be traveled on foot, instead of seeing the route on the map as it always has been, you can frame the road with your smartphone camera and see it appear on the screen virtual signs that tell us where to go. The signs with where to go will appear on the phone screen above the shot of the road made with the camera, in real time, with arrows and the name of the street to follow. Walking on the street following the directions of Google Maps makes it much easier to see where to go when you go on foot and it is also a lot of fun.
The function has been in the testing phase for some time on Google Pixel smartphones and has now been distributed on all smartphones that have the support of ARCore or ARKit technologies.
READ ALSO: Best augmented reality apps on iPhone and Best AR apps on Android
To access the augmented reality of Google Maps, you need to open the application, type the destination and touch the blue icon of the directions. If the function is available you will see an icon to start AR that activates Live View navigation with a 3D street view. The screen will show both the map with our position and the roads to follow, and the image of the road we are on, with a virtual sign that tells us exactly where to go.
As mentioned above, to use the augmented reality feature in Google Maps, you need an ARCore (Android) or ARKit (iPhone) enabled phone and the latest version of Google Maps. If you still don't see the option, check that the phone is compatible and wait for Google to activate the functionality for everyone (if not today, in a few days).
Among the ARCore compatible smartphones there are all the latest models, including the Samsung Galaxy, Honor and Huawei, LG, Nokia, Motorola and several others.
The function has been in the testing phase for some time on Google Pixel smartphones and has now been distributed on all smartphones that have the support of ARCore or ARKit technologies.
READ ALSO: Best augmented reality apps on iPhone and Best AR apps on Android
To access the augmented reality of Google Maps, you need to open the application, type the destination and touch the blue icon of the directions. If the function is available you will see an icon to start AR that activates Live View navigation with a 3D street view. The screen will show both the map with our position and the roads to follow, and the image of the road we are on, with a virtual sign that tells us exactly where to go.
As mentioned above, to use the augmented reality feature in Google Maps, you need an ARCore (Android) or ARKit (iPhone) enabled phone and the latest version of Google Maps. If you still don't see the option, check that the phone is compatible and wait for Google to activate the functionality for everyone (if not today, in a few days).
Among the ARCore compatible smartphones there are all the latest models, including the Samsung Galaxy, Honor and Huawei, LG, Nokia, Motorola and several others.
