Google Photos map view adds satellite layer, integrates your travel ‘Timeline’

Abner Li | Dec 18 2020 - 9:07 pm PT

Last month, Google briefly mentioned that the Location History-powered Timeline feature in Maps was coming to Photos. The Timeline integration is now rolled out in Google Photos for iOS and Android, along with the ability to change the map layer.

Upon launching the Google Photos location view from the Search tab, users are greeted with a “See your path through the world with Timeline added to your map” prompt.

In addition to showing where pictures were taken, the map view can now display the exact route you traveled that day. The company emphasizes that this trail is private and only visible to you. When zoomed in to a particular location, the app continues to surface all the shots taken there over time.

However, there is now a maps icon in the top-right corner of the image sheet that can zoom you out to show the entire day’s path (in light blue). This is powered by Location History and can be disabled by heading to the new overflow menu where you’ll also find a quick shortcut to Google Account settings.

Meanwhile, Google Photos now lets you replace the Default map layer with Satellite or Terrain.

This Google Photos map Timeline is widely rolled out on Android and iOS. It comes as Google this week also announced new 3D Cinematic photos and more Memories.