Google shuts down ‘Earth View’ wallpaper collection

Without any warning or prior notice, Google appears to have shut down the website for its “Earth View” collection of satellite-captured wallpapers and Chromecast backgrounds.

Alongside collections powered by Google Arts & Culture and photo submissions from Pixel owners, you can often spot some incredible imagery of planet Earth on display when your Chromecast-enabled device goes idle. These same photos, taken by satellites, are also available through Google’s Wallpapers app on Android.

If you wanted to browse the entire collection, Google offered a full website for Earth View that allowed for easy downloads, as well as a dedicated Chrome extension that replaces the default New Tab Page.

However, as noticed by multiple 9to5Google readers, it seems that Google has taken Earth View offline as of mid-January. The website currently leads to a 404 error, while the Chrome extension is only able to show a randomly selected image and your recent history. Despite the apparent shutdown, the Earth View extension is still available for download in the Chrome Web Store.

The last time we covered Earth View was in 2020, when Google added over 1,000 new shots to the collection, curated in collaboration with Ubilabs. Until something changes, these wallpapers are no longer easily accessible and browsable via the web.

Earth View has the power to elevate our minds from our tiny screens to outer space — the landscapes that materialize when you open a new tab or unlock your phone punctuate your day with a global looking glass. My hope then is this funny, little project — along with Google Earth as a whole — moves us to care more deeply about this strange but kaleidoscopically beautiful planet.

Did you use any wallpapers from Google Earth View? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks, Jay & Sterling!