When Will a Google Street View Car Come to Your Area?

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Everything you need to know about their schedule
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Looking for your chance to become internet famous? Well, maybe posing in front of a Google Street View car will put you on the map. But how do you know when the car is coming? Is there a set schedule? We’ve answered these questions and more in this article, so keep reading to learn how Google’s cars work.

Things You Should Know

  • Google doesn’t publicly release their Google Street View car schedules, but you can find out the month and year a car may be in your area.
  • Street View cars usually have Google Maps decals and a tall tripod with a spherical camera on the roof.
  • A Street View car won’t come to your home on a specific day, but you can request new Google Satellite images.
Section 1 of 4:

When does the Google Maps car come?

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    Google’s cars come randomly, but you can see when they’re planning on visiting certain areas in a yearly time frame. Head to https://www.google.com/streetview/how-it-works , enter your country and region, and check to see when a car may be in your area. [1]
    • Keep in mind that Street View cars can be delayed by weather, traffic, and other outside forces, which is why there isn’t a definitive schedule.
    • Generally, Google Maps updates every 1 to 3 years, depending on the location.
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Section 2 of 4:

What does a Street Car look like?

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    Painted with Google Street View logos, these cars are usually easy to spot. But, if the decal doesn’t set it apart, the tall spherical camera on top will. Resting on a tall tripod that towers over other vehicles, this modular camera consists of 7 cameras that capture a 360° 3D image of the street. [2]
    • Google doesn’t use a specific make or model for these cars, but the cars do need 4 doors to hold the tripod in place.
    • A newer camera with a compact design with 2 spherical cameras (that resemble owl eyes) will start replacing older models in 2023. [3]
Section 3 of 4:

Uploading a Street View Image

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    Has a Google car not come by your neighborhood in years? Is there a trail you hike that’s not on a map? Uploading a 360° video of your favorite locations can help put your town on the map. Here’s what you need to do: [4]
    • Gear up with a Street View-compatible camera, like the Insta360 Pro 2 , GoPro Max , or Labpano Pilot Era .
    • Mount your camera on a vehicle or helmet and go for a drive, ride, or walk.
    • Publish your images to the Street View Studio in your selected location.
    • This process only works if your area is already on Google Maps.
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Section 4 of 4:

How to Request a Satellite Image

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    Say you’ve done a lot of landscaping work on your house recently. Maybe you’ve installed a pool, built a barn, or planted trees. If the image of your property on Google Maps is from before those renovations, ask Google to take a new satellite image. [5]
    • Head to Google Earth .
    • Go to the area you’d like updated on the Map.
    • Click the 3 bars on the top left-hand side of the screen and select “Feedback.”
    • Type “I would like to recommend an imagery refresh” in the feedback window.
    • Select “Capture screenshot.”
    • Send your request.
    • This doesn’t ensure a Google Satellite will come on a specific day or time.

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Will they blur out people if they are caught on camera?
    Community Answer
    Yes. Their faces will be blurred out, but not the rest of their body. There is a way you can have them blur an entire person out by clicking "Report a problem" while in Street View and selecting where you want Google Maps to blur.
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      Tips

      • Check social media to see if anyone in your city or state has recently seen a Google Street View car. Try searching tags like #googlemaps and #streetview on TikTok or Instagram.
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      • I like going to this website to see where the street view car currently is: https://whereisthegooglecar.com
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.google.com/streetview/how-it-works/
      2. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/googles-street-view-cars-are-now-giant-mobile-3d-scanners/
      3. ↑ https://blog.google/products/maps/street-view-15-new-features/
      4. ↑ https://www.google.com/streetview/contribute/
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3094045?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop

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