New augmented reality icons are coming to Street View: they will be similar to those already existing on Google Maps and will improve the use of the app
Google Maps and Street View represent two of the Google apps most appreciated by users, especially commuters and those who love to travel and move around. In fact, if you don't know the route to take to reach a specific place, you can simply set your destination and follow the directions in Maps or get your bearings better thanks to Street View, which shows a photographic image of the place.
In fact, often, to understand where you are, you select this mode that shows the exact image of the place, with any businesses, streets, storefronts, houses and even cars along the way. While the world was isolated at home because of Covid-19, the Mountain View company looked for a solution to increase the user experience of Street View and offer the user a unique experience thanks to augmented reality. Thus, the development team gave birth to the new AR placeholders.
Google Maps: AR pin integration
According to rumors, Big G. is working on integrating augmented reality pinboards into Street View. The pins are similar to those already present on Google Maps related to clubs, bars, restaurants or other points of interest. Noticing these signs is easy: they are circular and colored icons that, if you touch or hover your mouse over them from the PC version, offer some additional information about the selected place.
They show the name of the place (for example the name of the bar or restaurant), a brief description, the rating and also the feedback left by other people who have passed by. In short, they represent an important reference point and will surely be a huge opportunity for businesses all over the world. On the other hand, this is not a real novelty: as we said, we are already accustomed to seeing these small icons on Google Maps. We are therefore in front of an example of how augmented reality, street photography and maps can merge to offer users a more complete and effective service.
Ar placeholders on Street View: when will they be available?
Google has not revealed any news about the possible release of the feature. According to some rumors, the icons would be in the rollout phase for some users and businesses in New York and Boston. In fact, they need to undergo some improvements before being rolled out to all countries. Moreover, it is likely that the company is carrying out the classic A/B Test to understand which is the solution able to satisfy and help the users more.
This kind of test is used when you have to launch a new product or service: in fact it allows to propose the same function with some differences to two groups of users and understand which is the most usable and intuitive version. The release won't be imminent and it seems that Italy won't be involved in the diffusion of AR icons, at least at first.