Google Earth 4+

I enjoy using Google Earth as it offers a fantastic feature to explore the world and discover different places. However, I have noticed that the map of the New York metro area needs an update. New York City and its surrounding areas have been experiencing significant construction and development. Areas such as Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City, Jersey City, Newark, Yonkers, White Plains, and New Rochelle are undergoing major changes, with many smaller cities now boasting skylines comparable to major cities across the country. Many new buildings that have been constructed for over a year now still aren’t on the map.

Despite the map being 1-2 years old, it already appears outdated. To provide users with a more accurate and current view, I believe Google Maps should update this region to reflect its current appearance. Additionally, implementation of a map update every 5-10 months would be reasonable to keep pace with the ongoing developments.

I’d like to start by saying I haven’t used Google Earth in my classroom for awhile. But now I need it and I’m having to relearn where everything is hidden/renamed. This app used to be so easy to navigate and I could easily direct my kids to the places I wanted them to explore. Now, I’ve amassed a sheet of web links offering help - quite the waste of time when it could/should be in one place. (What happened to the downloadable pdf Guide? If it’s out there, I haven’t found it yet.)

Near as I can tell, Random Search has become I’m Feeling Lucky. Really? Why is that necessary? Cutesy titles are not helpful, especially when teaching 2nd-language learners. I’m guessing that Editor’s Picks is now Voyager. The transition between computer (Toolbar at the top) and tablet (iPad, in my case - finding Toolbar equivalent is not an easy task) should be uniform in appearance and function. Aside from using grid lines and reading latitude/longitude locations from there, what happened to the gps locations that used to be at the bottom of the page? They’re still there on the home location. And on the tablet, how do you relaunch Earth short of closing it down and starting over? And if you’re logged in, it opens to the screen you left. 🤷‍♀️

This update makes absolutely no sense and is a perfect example for app developers of what NOT to do - don’t dramatically change an app that worked great for years unless the changes clearly benefit users! These changes are not improvements! Why make a huge “Your projects” tab that takes up screen real estate without even giving us the option to completely hide it? My guess is that most mobile Google Earth users don’t even use projects regularly… I certainly don’t. Now I have this annoying UI element constantly taking up a ton of space where it can accidentally get tapped.

The slideshow for viewing photos is a complete downgrade because you can no longer zoom in on the pictures! The layers tab is cluttered. Searching now feels clunky. And what happened to the Voyager section where you could view different interactive pre-made stories like sea level rise, deforestation, etc?!

There are a couple new features I appreciate, but they could’ve easily been incorporated without changing the UI completely! I’m happy they gave more control over custom layers, made Timelapse easy to use, and made a toggle to show areas with 3D coverage. However, these things don’t compensate for the nonsensical UI/UX changes. Do better Google!