Google Maps is ready to compete with Apple Maps' 3D Mode feature. During its I/O conference keynote in May 2022, the tech company announced that it would be adding a new Immersive View feature in Google Maps, which will allow users to explore cities easily.

Immersive View gives you a 3D model of the world, making it easy to navigate cities. Here's everything you need to know about Google Map's Immersive View feature.

Google Is Launching Immersive View in Maps

Google is launching a new feature in Google Maps dubbed Immersive View. The feature adds an extra layer to Google Maps, first launched as a simple app to help you navigate to your destination. With the presence of Street View and Live View plus the new Immersive View, the platform will get a lot better.

"You'll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant, or popular venue is like—and even feel like you're right there before you ever set foot inside," Google said in a blog post.

What Is Google Maps' Immersive View?

Immersive View is a feature that combines Street View with aerial images, creating a 3D model of the world. For starters, you can use Street View, one of the best Google Maps features for navigation, to explore interesting places using a digital model. Live View is built on top of Street View, which gives you an easy way to navigate by using the digital model of a place.

Immersive View takes it a mile further, adding an extra depth and allowing you to view a city from the top and drill down to view more details of a specific location.

How Immersive View Feature Will Help You Explore Cities

With Immersive View, Google Maps will now give you a digital experience of a place before you even go there. Say you wish to visit San Francisco soon, you can search for the specific area you plan to visit, and Google Maps will give you a digital model of the place with key locations standing out.

You can view the area at different times and in different weather conditions, plus discover busy spots that you should probably avoid. If you want to check out different places to eat, Immersive View will show you available restaurants with an option to view more details up close. You can even look inside a restaurant in 3D to experience how it looks.

Immersive View will even show you helpful information like how busy a restaurant is at the moment and nearby traffic. Here are some tips to help you use Google Maps like a pro.

Google Maps' Immersive View Availability and Support

According to Google, Immersive View will work on "just about any phone and device." Immersive View will launch later in 2022 and, unfortunately, won't be available in all major cities at the start.

Google plans to debut the feature in only five cities at launch, including Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The plan is to expand coverage to more cities in the future.

Experience Cities in 3D

Whether you want to explore a different city or discover hidden games in your city, Google Maps will make it easier than ever before. Immersive View gives you a birds-eye-view of a city, and you can drill down to view what it looks like from the ground.