Apple Maps: Streetview view now also on the PC
Apple has added a central function to the cross-platform web version of its map service. Support for Android is still missing.
(Image: DenPhoto, stock.adobe.com,Montage Mac & i)
The version of Apple Maps that can be accessed via a browser now offers a street photo view. Using the Streetview counterpart, users can practically drive down streets and thus gain a detailed insight into city districts, streets or specific regions. Apple had previously reserved this function for the pre-installed map app on iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Apple Maps on the web remains a beta
The web version of Apple Maps is still classified as a beta and can therefore be accessed via beta.maps.apple.com – and not via apple.com/maps, which is currently an advertising site for the native app. A generally accessible browser version of the Apple map service has only been available since summer 2024. The service officially only supports the major browsers in macOS, iPadOS and Windows – Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Android browsers such as Chrome or Brave display an error message when trying to open Apple Maps. In a support document last updated in August, Apple promises that the map service will soon be available for "additional browsers, platforms and languages", without giving specific details. The service now supports German.
Apple's street photos have covered a large part of Germany since mid-2022. The manufacturer calls the function "Look around" and it is marked with a binoculars symbol. Most of the images are apparently from 2020, but Apple's camera and surveying vehicles were again on the road in many federal states in Germany in 2024, so newer images are likely to be added sooner or later.
At the start, Apple's "Umsehen" clearly stood out from Google's Streetview, as there were hardly any applications for the pixelation of houses at Apple. However, Google's new edition of street photos with images from previous years also contains relatively few pixelated houses, as contradictions have to be updated.
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Apple Maps with advertising?
It remains unclear what plans Apple has for the web version of its map service. Central functions such as route planning are integrated, but so far only for cars and pedestrians. Other views – such as traffic situation, satellite view and 3D map material – are missing. According to an older report, Apple has been internally testing advertising placements in the map view, but so far the service has remained ad-free.
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