The latest update to Google Maps is giving users a more immersive experience thanks to the magic of augmented reality (AR) – and in honor of the 2024 Olympics, these features are focusing on Paris first.
As explained in a blog post, certain well-known landmarks on Google Maps – including the Eiffel Tower in the French capital – now show an AR experience button when you search for them on the map.
Tap this, and you can explore the landmark through time by pointing your phone at it. With the Eiffel Tower, for example, you’re able to see original architectural concepts for the structure that ended up never being built.
What’s more, you can point your phone at the banks of the Seine to see temporary structures that were erected for the Exposition Universelle World Fair in 1900. This is a great example of how augmented reality can be used very effectively.
More coming soon
Google says that similar experiences are coming to more Parisian landmarks soon, including Notre-Dame Cathedral. You’ll also be able to see the Bastille Saint-Antoine and the Palais des Tuileries as they were before their demolition.
The new experiences have been developed in partnership with Google Arts & Culture and gaming studio Ubisoft, and it’s one of several new initiatives Google has introduced in its apps to tie in with the Olympic Games.
There’s no specific mention in Google’s blog post of these interactive experiences rolling out beyond the borders of the French capital, but we are told to “be on the lookout for more content in the future” – which suggests this is just the start.
We usually don’t have to wait too long for a new feature to pop up in Google Maps, though some of them take a while to appear everywhere: the ability to report incidents on the road has only just been added to Google Maps on CarPlay.