After a limited beta release on Pixel devices, Google’s long-in-development augmented reality walking directions are now available on far more devices.
Starting today, the feature, now called Live View, is available on any Android and iOS devices that support ARCore and ARKit.
To launch Live View navigation, open Maps, type in the destination you want to visit and then switch to walking direction. If the feature is available on your device, you’ll see an icon toward the bottom of the screen that will launch the feature.
Google first showed off Live View at its I/O Developer Conference in 2018. According to a report Bloomberg published in 2016, the consensus among analysts the publication interviewed at the time was that Live View would figure prominently in Google’s efforts to monetize Maps.
Despite being one of the search giant’s most prominent consumer-facing services, Google has exercised a soft touch with Maps. Unlike Gmail and Search, Maps features few, if any, ads. That could all change with Live View, with analysts predicting the company will use the feature to display augmented reality ads.
Source: Google
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