Google Maps is bringing its coolest Street View feature to mobile

Ever wondered what your apartment building looked like in 2007?
 By 
Alex Perry
 on 
Google Maps street view van
Find out what these vans saw over the past 15 years. Credit: Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Finally, another excuse to lose hours staring at your phone.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Google Maps Street View, the iconic feature that has allowed countless people to see their parents mowing their lawns with their faces blurred out, Google announced that one of the best parts of Street View is finally coming to mobile. As of Tuesday, iOS and Android users can look at Street View images from previous years on the Google Maps mobile app.

This has been doable on desktop for years, but who uses a computer these days? If it’s not on mobile, it might as well not exist. To access old Street View photos, Google says all you have to do is tap the Street View image you’re looking at, then tap “See more dates.” Sounds simple enough. Once you’ve done that, you can see what your neighborhood or office building looked like 10 years ago, if those images are available.


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If you’ve never done this, it can be a seriously fun distraction from the horrors of daily life. Whether it’s seeing an old neighborhood dog on the sidewalk or finding out that your local deli used to have a different colored awning over its entrance, there’s something inherently fascinating about seeing the evolution of a tiny slice of humanity over time. 

If nothing else, it’s something to do on your lunch break or during a really boring meeting.

Topics Google

journalist alex perry looking at a smartphone
Alex Perry
Tech Reporter

Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.

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