Google's Street View standalone app will soon be sent to its digital grave.
Google recently confirmed that it would soon be discontinuing support for its dedicated Street View app and that it will be removed from app stores "in the coming weeks."
Google previously celebrated the addition of Street View on Google Maps and possibly its standalone app in late May with new features, such as Historical Street View.
Google Street View Standalone App Discontinuation Details
Google has two versions of its Street View feature available for the public to use - the one found in Google Maps and its standalone app. According to XDA Developers, the latter allows for an "immersive" look at the world through a mobile phone with 360-degree photos and videos of locations worldwide.
This app also allows users to contribute to Google by taking and uploading their own 360-degree images if they are able.
However, it is this very app that Google plans to remove from apps stores cut support to. 9to5Google recently found that Google prepared shutdown notices in the app's latest update notifying users that it is shutting the app down on March 31, 2023.
It also advises users to switch to Google Maps or the Street View Studio web app to continue enjoying Google's Street View feature.
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This shutdown notice isn't visible in the app nor its app store pages as of the writing of this article, but 9to5Google's team managed to enable them to be viewable.
Additionally, Google spokesperson Madison Gouveia confirmed to The Verge in a statement that Google is discontinuing its Street View app next year.
They also added that the search giant is removing its standalone Street View app from app stores "in the coming weeks" in preparation for its discontinuation.
As of the writing of this article, Google has yet to give a more specific date when it will remove its standalone Street Maps standalone app from mobile app stores.
Will The Public Be Affected by The Discontinuation?
The discontinuation of the standalone Street View app isn't much of a loss to Google and the app, as Google Maps and Street View Studio has most of the app's features built into them.
As such, users of the standalone app would feel right at home with the two apps when Street View's dedicated app is discontinued next year.
However, there is one feature the standalone app does have, but the other two don't - Photo Paths. The feature allows users of the standalone app to use their smartphones to contribute 2D photos of a road or path that remains undocumented by Google's Street View cars and personnel.
Although there is no replacement for Photo Paths in the main Google Maps app and Street View Studio, it might live on in another form. Users could still contribute imagery with the Street View Studio web app, making the standalone app somewhat redundant.
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