Apple Maps introduces Street View feature to Its Web Application

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Apple says it has done some work to polish up its web-based beta of Apple Maps. New in the update is the addition of Look Around, which provides 360-degree panoramic views of specific regions similar to Google Street View.

Apple initially rolled this out somewhat more limitedly in June, but now it is available on web browsers on Windows. Normally such changes are detected by a website that tracks map services, and as of this article’s writing it looks like the Look Around feature was added on or around December 11, 2024.

Look Around provides a first-person, street-level perspective of some chosen regions; however, it is live only in particular cities within the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and a few other locations. Apple has revealed a full list of markets supporting this feature on the official company’s website. Now it works well, but the web version of Look Around is somewhat different from versions for iOS and macOS. It is not as great when it comes to 3D effects when you do not have to move around. Combined with that is an effect which, however, does not become ascendant when one operates the view.

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Another one is that the Apple Maps web app is currently in public beta, there are some constraints to it. Work is still in progress, some elements such as the transit maps and 3D building models unavailable, and all the personal login with an Apple ID to review personal locations and individual guides are missing. However, you can navigate the maps, search for businesses, get directions and look for guides with the help of the beta version.

Apple Maps is currently a web app, so you can actually use it at beta.maps.apple.com across Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge; but, it did not work for me on Chrome. Trying it on the former website proved beyond doubt that it was much faster than Google Maps. The quality was also slightly nipped and tucked higher, possibly because when one entered a new area it did not take long to load.

Apple concerns continue to enhance the web app, and subsequent updates to the tool are expected to come with even more features. There will also be support for other platforms and in other languages. As for the web version of Apple Maps, even though it’s not as good as the mobile and desktop apps, it is certainly moving closer.