Google launches Street View app with 360-degree images

Google is retiring its Photo Sphere Camera app on iOS and the Street View feature from the Google Maps app on Android in favor of a new app for both operating systems: the Street View app.

The tech giant announced Thursday the standalone app will let people explore collections of 360-degree panorama photos of locations (both interior and exterior), and make their own contributions to public photo galleries.

Users can snap 360-degree "spherical" photos directly from their Android phone or iPhone, or use a dedicated 360-degree camera such as the Ricoh Theta S or NCTech iris360. They can then geotag the images and upload them directly to Google Maps. Other users can then view those images when they tap on a map location within the app.

"In one gallery, you can explore Street View collections and content from Google Maps alongside photo spheres contributed from people around the globe," said a product manager at Google Maps, Charles Armstrong. "So whether you want to track the Loch Ness monster in Scotland, scale the famed rock wall El Capitan in Yosemite, or hike Mt. Fuji, the Street View app has you covered."

To combat inappropriate content that often goes hand-in-hand with user-generated content, the app will have a feature that lets users report problems.

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