[Google Teaser] New Features in Google Earth

Google teased that it would be launching a ‘brand new experience’ for Google Earth, and it has announced the details.

The biggest change is that Google Earth is no longer a standalone app on desktop: it now runs as a web app. As for now, it’s Chrome-only, but the company is promising support for other browsers later. The mobile version still requires an app, and is currently Android only, with additional iOS support promised.

There are, though, two headline new features …

Voyager is a new type of guided tour, accessed via a ship’s wheel icon. These are curated journeys of around ten locations, each with a particular theme. The journeys of course includes Street View imagery and 360-degree videos to provide an immersive experience. There are around 50 Voyager tours available today, with more to follow.

Google has also borrowed the I’m feeling lucky button from Search. Hitting this will randomly take you to one of 20,000 locations complete with info Cards to tell you all about them. Google said that this randomized feature reflects the way many people use the apps, to just explore the planet without any particular destination in mind.

With today’s announcement, Google also mentioned new VR experiences coming to Earth. There are 27 new “hand-picked locations” coming to Google Earth VR, and today’s update also gives you the ability to search.

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