The update to the Street View app on Android enables users to use Google’s connected photos tool to record a series of ARCore-captured connected images as they move along the street. Once the user has recorded and published their images to the app, Google then automatically rotates, positions, and creates a series of connected photos, which are then placed in the correct location on Google Maps.

“Before this feature, you would typically need special 360-degree cameras to capture and publish Street View imagery. Some equipment you could even attach to the roof of your car, but at the cost of thousands of dollars; that’s out of the realm for many,” said Stafford Marquardt, Product Manager at Google Maps Street View.

“Now that anyone can create their own connected Street View photos, we can bring better maps to more people around the world, capturing places that aren’t on Google Maps or that have seen rapid change. All you need is a smartphone—no fancy equipment required.”

The connected photos feature is currently available in beta to those using the Street View app with an ARCore-compatible Android device in Toronto, New York, and Austin in the US, as well as users in Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica.

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People who go to Google Search for voting information will now be able easily find details on things such as ‘early voting locations’ or ‘ballot drop boxes near me’, providing voters with details on where they can vote in-person or return their mail-in ballot.

Soon, the feature will be extended to Google Assistant, meaning voters can ask ‘Hey Google, where do I vote?’ and be given details via an Assistant-enabled smartphone, smart speaker, or smart display.

From Search, and eventually Assistant, people can click through to Maps to see how far away voting locations are from them, how to get there, and what the voting hours are. If someone searches for a voting location in Maps, they will, similarly, be able to switch over to Search for more information.

Google has teamed up with the Voting Information Project, a partnership between Democracy Works and state election officials, to provide the information. And, for places where this information is not yet available, Google will surface state and local election websites instead.

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The ‘Local campaigns’ feature has been expanded to help businesses with physical locations to drive more visits to their stores, restaurants, dealerships etc. by dropping sponsored location pins into Google Maps when users are searching for local directions. Users will be able to tap on those pins and add them as a stop on their journeys. The expansion will rollout ‘in the coming weeks’ and smaller businesses will also be to take advantage of local campaigns.

Locations advertised in Maps can also be promoted as consumers browse content on the websites and apps in Google’s Display Network.

Google is also expanding store pickup to show consumers the fulfilment options a business offers from their ad. Businesses offering ‘buy online, pick up in-store’ can let consumers know exactly what type of pick up option is on the able with ‘pick up today’ and ‘pick up later’ offers.

Pick up today lets businesses show the products they have which are available for immediate store pickup following online payment. Pick up later is to promote products that may not be in store now but can be shipped to a nearby store within a few days. The more granular feature is currently available in beta.

The final development from Google will be to enable retailers to pick shopping campaigns where they’d like to include store visits as a conversion goal alongside online sales, meaning advertisers can add stores visits bidding to their standard or smart shopping campaigns. This ability will also arrive in the coming weeks.

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