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'Google Earth' for iPhone Updated, Adds 'My Maps' Compatibility

Monday November 16, 2009 12:33 pm PST by Eric Slivka
Google today announced that it has issued an update to Google Earth [App Store, Free] the companion iPhone and iPod touch application to the company's desktop application offering virtual globe and other geographic information.

Among the biggest changes in Version 2.0 of Google Earth is the ability to view custom maps stored in the "My Maps" section of users' Google Maps accounts.

By logging in directly to your Google Maps account, you can view the same maps that you or others have created, using the My Maps interface. Maybe you're on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you're walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adri likes to eat. All you have to do is click "Save to My Maps", open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voil, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket.



"My Maps" on Desktop



"My Maps" on iPhone

The update also adds visual feedback to highlight icons when they have been touched.

Now, when you touch an icon, a small glow appears under your finger to let you know which icon you have picked. If your finger touches more than one icon, you'll be taken to a list of all icons, so you can select the one you are interested in.

Finally, Version 2.0 boosts language support to a total of 31.
[ 11 comments ]

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Yelmurc
Posted: 33 months ago
Where is my google moon and mars?
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chimerical
Posted: 33 months ago
The "My Maps" support is a very welcome addition to the Google Earth app. I was hoping that the built in Google Maps app on the iPhone would include this feature too, but still no luck.
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brianbobcat
Posted: 33 months ago
I want My Places support, but is "My Maps" the same thing? I have a whole folder of easy to navigate locations in Google Earth and as a separate .kml file, but there appears to still be no way to get that onto my phone. Anyone know something I don't about .kmls and the iPhone app?

-Brian
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chimerical
Posted: 33 months ago
Well, I can confirm that "My Maps" displays what I created from within the Google Maps website. I believe "My Places" is different.
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dacreativeguy
Posted: 33 months ago

The "My Maps" support is a very welcome addition to the Google Earth app. I was hoping that the built in Google Maps app on the iPhone would include this feature too, but still no luck.


Google Earth is the only app that Google can directly control. It is unfortunate that Maps is controlled by Apple and therefore can't be updated as often by Google. It is also unfortunate that Apple would never let Google, or anyone else, simply release a another Maps app that could supplant the built-in app. Oh well...
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iSaint
Posted: 33 months ago
Is Google Sky on the iPhone, or available for iPhone?
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Maxintech
Posted: 33 months ago
Why Google Earth por iPhone is not available worldwide. I cannot download it from Argentine Store.
:(
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hanpa
Posted: 33 months ago
I installed the update but the indication of update needed was left. Reinstalled a couple of times, no change. Deleted the app and new install, still needed update. Finally deleted the app.
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nagromme
Posted: 33 months ago

... It is also unfortunate that Apple would never let Google, or anyone else, simply release a another Maps app that could supplant the built-in app. Oh well...


What do you mean by “supplant”? There are tons of iPhone map apps (including this one), and some provide full directions or other features that go beyond the built-in in app (which remains my favorite for ease-of-use). You can toss the built-in Maps app onto your last home screen and put any other app in its place.

By “supplant” do you mean “change the app that launches when you click a Google Maps web link in Safari”? That can’t be done, you’re right. But the built-in Maps app is great for that specific function anyway. (And third-party apps CAN launch from Web links—they just have to be a link designed for that app, not one made for Google Maps. IIRC, custom user content for Doom Classic works that way.)
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askjact
Posted: 32 months ago
I accept with information:Minami Takayama is the Japanese voice actress for Conan. She is also the singer in the popular J-Pop duo Two-Mix. In May 2005, she married Case Closed creator Gosho Aoyama, although they divorced in 2007. The two originally met when Takayama voiced the title character in the anime adaption of an earlier Gosho Aoyama manga: Yaiba. According to an interview, she preferred to wait until the latest chapter of the manga was on sale in Japan.
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