Google Maps to add aerial perspectives, more biking info and greater

Google Maps announced adds photorealistic aerial views, new bike route information, new notifications for sharing your location, and more.

Views of Ariel

Google said it’s adding “photorealistic aerial views of nearly 100 of the world’s most popular landmarks in cities like Barcelona, ​​London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo.” This is one step to in-depth views announcement by Google at Google I/O.

Here’s a GIF of photorealistic aerial views in action:

To see an aerial view, wherever available, search for the landmark on Google Maps and go to the Photos section.

Cycling details

Google will soon add new bike route information so you can compare bike routes, see even more detailed details about your bike ride and more. Google will show the elevation on your route, and you’ll also see in advance if you’ll encounter heavy traffic, stairs or steep hills along the way.

Share location notifications

Google has also improved the sharing your location feature where you can share your location with a friend. Now you can set a notification for a specific address, so you can see when your friend has arrived and quickly meet up. You can also set a notification to see when they’ve left the venue.

You can only set notifications for someone who has already chosen to share their location with you. The person who shared their location with you will receive multiple reminders to let them know — including a push notification in the Maps app and email, along with recurring monthly emails. You can turn them off for privacy.

Aerial views of landmarks and location-sharing notifications are now available globally on Google Maps on Android and iOS, and cycling route information will be available in hundreds of cities where cycling directions are available in the coming weeks.

Forum discussion at Twitter.