Explore more, and faster than ever before

The Earth is a big place, and with 196.9 million square miles to explore, we could all benefit from being able to explore more, faster. Today’s update lets you do just that. With Street View navigation, you can take in all the sights without ever leaving Street View mode. As long as an adjacent 360 photo exists, you’ll be able to stroll along the streets and roads as if you’re there. Additionally, we’ve worked hard to make changes that more efficiently use your bandwidth, resulting in faster load times. Over the holidays, check out medieval architecture in Sofia, fly over the monastery of El Escorial in Spain, or walk up the Selarón steps in Rio. And as always, happy exploring! Release notes

• AddedStreet View navigationAbility to navigate between Street View 360 photos by selecting icon in the direction of the next connected 360 photo. Note: this feature is only available upon entering Street View mode by pointing the laser at the preview sphere and pulling the trigger. It is not currently supported when placing the preview sphere over your head.

• Improved imagery load times: Changes to more efficiently use bandwidth. This will improve imagery load times on Internet connections that may have been slow in the past.