Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 64-Bit Support

('//www.macrumors.com/2017/08/02/google-earth-ios-app-64-bit-support/')


Google Earth for iOS today received a major update ('https://www.blog.google/products/earth/plan-your-next-adventure-new-google-earth-ios-app/') that brings a collection of new features to the interactive mapping app, as well as introducing 64-bit app support so it can run on iOS 11 devices. Apple reminded developers over the summer ('//www.macrumors.com/2017/06/28/apple-wwdc-transcripts-and-app-requirements/') that once iOS 11 launches to the public, it will cease support of 32-bit apps altogether and only allow 64-bit apps and app updates to be submitted to the App Store.

In its announcement, Google positioned the updated app as a way for users to discover new travel destinations. With the new add-ons, users will now be able to explore locations around the world with a 3D button that refocuses Google Maps and begins circling around a city chosen by the user, similar to Flyover in Apple Maps. All of the updates coming to iOS previously debuted on Android in April.


There's also a new feature called "Voyager" that brings up interactive stories from places around the world with information like the best museums, parks, and landmarks broken down in categories including editor's picks, travel, nature, culture, history, and education.



To discover a random new destination on the planet, there's a new dice rolling button that surfaces a new location for users to read up on each time it's pressed. Google also added an in-app screenshot, or "Postcard," feature that lets users take pictures of the locations they explore with the new 3D mode.

Google Earth ('http://appshopper.com/travel/google-earth') is available to download from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link ('https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=293622097&mt=8')]

Article Link: Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 64-Bit Support ('//www.macrumors.com/2017/08/02/google-earth-ios-app-64-bit-support/')

[doublepost=1501693543][/doublepost]The iOS version is badly flawed - every word has a small 'k' in front of it and it looks like coders placeholders instead of proper menu items!

Is this the alpha version? Can't believe no-one spotted this before release! A bug fix version coming in 1 .. 2 .. 3 ..

Guess we're going to see a last minute 64-bit rush as procrastinating devs look at the calendar and say "Oh ****!"

First thing I noticed the first time running it. How the hell did it get in the app store with this issue I'll never know.

Google evidently used the same engineer who, until a couple days ago, was in charge of posting Apple's HomePod software for internal use only.

Cool, now also for macOS please..!

EDIT: Just released!
Version 7.3 now 64 bits
https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html

Awesome, I thought Google had abandoned this app.

[doublepost=1501693543][/doublepost]The iOS version is badly flawed - every word has a small 'k' in front of it and it looks like coders placeholders instead of proper menu items!

Is this the alpha version? Can't believe no-one spotted this before release! A bug fix version coming in 1 .. 2 .. 3 ..

First thing I noticed the first time running it. How the hell did it get in the app store with this issue I'll never know.

Google earth for iOS is a massive upgrade from the previous version. I've just been playing around with it and comparing it to Apple maps. In this comparison, I'm ignoring the fact that GE has map editing/overlaying capability with .kml files and such, which really gives it a whole other use case that Apple isn't currently trying to compete with.

The main advantages for GE are:
1) 3D views allow a much steeper angle (you can look straight forward in GE whereas Apple Maps only lets you look down at an angle, and the angle depends on whether you're in a flyover area or not)
2) The google server that is providing the data is much faster or the data is better compressed because it loads faster. You get low res imagery pretty much as fast as you can navigate around, whereas apple maps is plagued with the dark gray checkerboard if you move the camera angle at all.
3) Built in street view functionality

Toss up area:
There's also a major difference in how the two mapping platforms display imagery at different zoom levels. In Apple maps, the colors change as you zoom above and below the cloud level. I generally see three (but sometimes more) different types of imagery, depending on zoom level. The close-up aerial imagery, or street level imagery, is generally very colorful and high contrast. Then when you zoom out to a regional level, the imagery becomes much lower contrast. I think it's unedited satellite imagery. Finally, at the highest level, the color returns to a very bright and colorful image (but different in character than the close-up). This may be satellite imagery but it's clearly reprocessed somehow to be less photo realistic but more visually pleasing. This is also combined with live lighting at the highest level, where the map shows you if the area is currently at night and how that would look from a satellite (city lights). In GE, they must just take the best/close up imagery and reprocess it for different zooms so the color temperature/contrast of the earth never changes depending on the elevation level. This results, in my opinion, in comparatively similar imagery at close up zoom, better imagery at the middle-level zoom, and worse imagery at the top level zoom. I think if Apple just got rid of the middle-level unprocessed satellite imagery and used a two level system, it would be perfect.

The main advantages for Apple maps are:
1) Combines some google earth functionality (3D and flying around a pretty globe) and google maps functionality (navigation and different map types) into one app/service. side note - I would love Apple to support .kml loading/editing functionality in their apps or even use a propriety format as long as it can be converted. It's currently not in there for marketing/design decisions, to make the Apple Maps app simple and consumer focused. They could definitely use a "pro" level app, though.
2) GE doesn't have as high resolution/fidelity as the apple maps flyover areas. Flyover is still the best in the business, by a shrinking margin.
3) Current weather/temperature data is displayed in the bottom corner for wherever you're looking at. I love this little feature.

Overall, GE is way better for flying/navigating around because it loads so much faster. If Apple could match the speed, I would likely stick to Apple Maps for most situations (but still keep GE for the cases where I want to use street view).

No, new version 7.3, 64 bits, july 2017

I stand corrected.
[doublepost=1501833541][/doublepost]...and a new version for ios has dropped to fix the language issue.

That's weird. It runs completely fine on our iPhones running the latest stable iOS (iOS 10.3.3). The Google Earth app shows its version number as 9.0.78.18 and not "kVersion" like that screenshot.

Definitely got the buggy k version on my iPhone.

That's weird. It runs completely fine on our iPhones running the latest stable iOS (iOS 10.3.3). The Google Earth app shows its version number as 9.0.78.18 and not "kVersion" like that screenshot.

People who have their language settings for English (U.S.) don't experience this issue. I'm on English (U.K.) and I do. No sure of the impact on other non U.S. users.