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Google Earth for iOS today received a major update 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 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.

google-earth-update-1.jpg
Summer is one of my favorite seasons. It's a time to travel with my family, for discovering new places and creating new memories. Google Earth is where I turn to for travel ideas. Just last month I was exploring Canada's National Parks. Inspired by the beautiful outdoor imagery, I'm planning to hit the road with my wife and kids in a couple weeks, up the coast to Hoh Rain Forest in Washington, and then onward to beautiful Victoria, Canada, home of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

And starting today, if you're an iOS user, you can download Google Earth and discover your next travel destination, too.
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.

google-earth-3.jpg

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 is available to download from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 64-Bit Support
 
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I saw that the Mac app is available, quit this and downloaded it. And installed the updated iOS app as well. I also have an epichrome web app for the web GE portal, which is pretty similar to the iOS app. There's something missing in the updated GE apps, I was thinking. And then I didn't see it…

Cars and trucks - pretty much gone. Still there in parking lots and on Street View, though…

Google's pretty much airbrushed out just about every vehicle on the Interstate highways and major roadways in the areas I was in last month - Seattle, LA, Portland.
 



Google Earth for iOS today received a major update 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 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.

google-earth-update-1.jpg
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.

google-earth-3.jpg

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 is available to download from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 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 ..

IMG_0052.PNG
 
[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 ..

View attachment 711223

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

I deleted about a dozen 32-bit apps over the past few months. I kept Google Earth because I had a feeling Google would update it. As for the apps I deleted, even if their developers update them at the last moment or soon after, I'm not sure I'll reinstall any of them because:

1) I don't have confidence in a developer that waits to the last moment to update after not updating in years. This tells me that they're 100 percent interested in their revenue stream and don't want that to stop.

2) In many cases, I found better alternatives. I may reinstall one or two if they get updated, that's about it.
 
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I bet it will be better than Apple maps. For me Apple can scrape the £&@&@ from the street.
 
How funny, only last night I used the iOS version and was surprised to be greeted by the non-compliant message and was surprised.

You'd have thought it would have been done sooner when you consider the attention to the amazing 3D details of the content.
 
[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 ..

View attachment 711223
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.
 
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.
 
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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).
 
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.

I'm on English UK, I don't have the issue

Edit: Nope I'm wrong, I have the same issue. I was using the search function. It's there when I go to the same screen you showed in your scree shot
 
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Although the new GoogleEarth downloads KML and KMZ files it doesn't save them between application invocations. When you first bring them in they show up in My Places, but if you stop the app and run it again they are gone. There doesn't seem to be any way to keep user files in the app between uses. I sure wish they would fix this.

Google Earth is available to download from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 64-Bit Support
 
64bit processors came so long ago. Wonder why Google took so long to get on the 64-bit bandwagon where macOS is concerned.
Indeed.
I think they think it wasn't really necessary to be 64 bits, as this app isn't that demanding. Most apps fine run just being 32 bits, but soon all must be 64 bit to be supported.
Must admit that the new one (both iOS and macOS) do seems to run better on the same hardware than the older 3 bits versions.
 
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Absolutely awesome! I love using Google Earth, but I thought they might have abandoned it for iOS and Mac. Guess not! Glad to see this update.
 
I'm on English UK, I don't have the issue

Edit: Nope I'm wrong, I have the same issue. I was using the search function. It's there when I go to the same screen you showed in your scree shot
Yup me too, but set it to Canadian English and the problem went away. So not just US English works.

On the other hand, still don't have the updated Google Earth for Macos...
 
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Loving the new look and hugely updated features! One feature I would love to see added, and I reckon could be easily implemented, is a news, time zone and weather feed like we used to have on Life With PlayStation's Live Channel...

Live Channel was a news, time zone and weather feed, which provided users with information from Google News and The Weather Channel organized by city. The content included live camera feeds and cloud data, similar to Google Earth. Live Cameras was provided by earthTV and the Webcams.travel website. The application only supported a collection of major cities of the world, with limited coverage, but it was an enjoyable experience zipping round a rotatable globe from city to city on different continents and reading the latest local news. It was discontinued in 2012 to great general dismay and sadness when SETI@HOME closed down on PlayStation.

I reckon it would be child's play for the Google Earth app to incorporate this feature in the new awesome update, and even surpass the Live Channel in coverage!. It would certainly have me firing up the app several times a day everyday. Go for it Google!
 
No that's an old version, release notes say December 2015! The only modern desktop version like the ios version runs only in browser, and only in Chrome.

No, new version 7.3, 64 bits, july 2017
 

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