Mapping redefined: Google Maps Immersive View for Android XR and Unity

Google Maps, a product relied on by over 2 billion users each month, is always innovating to help people navigate and explore in new ways. Recently, Android XR integrated Google Maps’ Immersive View, a feature that lets people virtually explore places in stunning detail to help them confidently make decisions about where to go. The result? a cutting-edge, immersive experience that helps people understand landmarks, restaurants, venues, and other places like never before.

This groundbreaking venture aims to serve as a blueprint for bridging the familiarity of 2D platforms with the untapped potential of fully immersive experiences in XR, all while building on Google Maps' reputation as an industry-leading navigation and discovery tool.

The motivating factors

The development of Google Maps for Android XR was driven by a combination of user demand and technological opportunity. User research revealed that a discovery experience similar to Google Maps was among the top three most desired activities in XR, highlighting strong interest from users. Additionally, the unique 3D nature of Google Maps made it an ideal candidate to showcase the immersive capabilities of Android XR and Galaxy XR, pushing the boundaries of what XR experiences could offer. Building on years of investment in Immersive View, XR presented the perfect platform to bring this rich, 3D content to life in a brand new way.

The solution

The application provides a comprehensive 2D Google Maps experience, much like the tablet version, serving as a familiar foundation. From that starting point, users can seamlessly transition into a fully 3D Immersive View powered by Unity. Users can soar over cities in breathtaking aerial views, explore at ground-level in 360-degree Street View panoramas, or step inside select locations with fully immersive and explorable 3D indoor views.

This multi-layered exploration allows users to discover and understand the world in a way static images cannot. For example, ground-level panoramas let users scout a location to check for nearby parking or see the surrounding area. The fully immersive 3D views let them virtually step inside a restaurant to understand its atmosphere, check for outdoor seating, or get a "vibe" before investing the time and money to visit. This capability provides a genuine sense of presence and scale, giving users unparalleled confidence in their decisions.

Why XR?

XR transforms the map from a 2D utility into a 3D experience, unlocking new pathways for discovery and learning. Users are transported to a location with a realistic sense of presence and scale that fosters deeper, more retentive understanding. This immersion is also invaluable for practical tasks like confident trip planning or location scouting, as it provides a genuine feel for a destination's atmosphere.

Who is it for?

The application is for any Android XR user who would typically use Google Maps. The initial target audience for Samsung’s Galaxy XR device, the first to feature Android XR, with a focus on early adopters.

The application is designed for users engaging in activities such as:

- Trip planning

- Exploring new places to visit, like shops and restaurants

- Virtual travel

Essentially, the user is anyone who wants to explore the planet from a new perspective, plan a trip with a deeper level of understanding, or get the "vibe" of a local spot before visiting.

Various landmarks as seen in Google Maps on Android XR

Key features of Google Maps for Android XR

Dynamic transitioning: Users can seamlessly move between traditional 2D views, breathtaking aerial perspectives, 360-degree Street View panoramas, and fully immersive 3D indoor environments.

Familiar yet enhanced interface: The foundation remains the reliable Google Maps 2D experience, ensuring accessibility while introducing immersive, engaging layers of exploration.

Immersive View: The integration of Google’s Immersive View expands the way places are visualized and understood, providing rich, contextual layers for better travel planning and discovery.

The role of Unity's technology

Building a high-performance, planet-scale XR application came with significant challenges, and this is where Unity’s tools proved invaluable.

Accelerated development of complex 3D XR experiences

The Google Maps on Android XR experience has specific requirements such as locomotion, rapid loading of planet-scale aerial content, immersive spatial audio, and performant Gaussian Splatting-powered scenes for indoor environments.

Unity's editor and the extensive body of existing knowledge and community expertise in creating interactive 3D and XR content allowed the team to iterate much more quickly, prototype and iterate rapidly, and be more nimble with feature delivery. This accelerated the development process.

Bringing all of the helpful information from Google Maps, which includes over 250 million businesses and places, into a real-time, high-performance XR application presents immense technical challenges. Unity's engine and its ability to handle large-scale data and streaming were critical.

Smooth, rapid rendering for user comfort

The team was able to leverage Unity's robust rendering pipeline to manage the streaming of planet-scale aerial content and high-detail 3D tiles without compromising on a smooth, consistent frame rate, which is paramount for user comfort in XR.

Unity is the primary Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the Maps Immersive View XR experience. The team employs a range of internal tools for build automation, testing, project management, and version control, but Unity remains the primary tool used day in and out to build the experience.

Cutting-edge headset technology

Google Maps for Android XR will launch on the inaugural Android XR device, a premium mixed-reality headset from Samsung launching later this year. This hardware is designed to bring general computing use cases to XR and is powered by a next-generation Snapdragon processor, featuring high-resolution displays capable of blending digital content with the physical world. This launch represents the first step in building a broader ecosystem of devices that will bring immersive experiences, like Google Maps on Android XR, to more users over time.

UploadVR’s Ian Hamilton speaking of the Maps on Android XR experience: “it is a killer feature. It is an incredible experience. You need to have this in every single headset”

What’s coming next

Google Maps for Android XR represents just the beginning. Looking ahead, Google plans to expand its immersive capabilities across a broader ecosystem of devices, such as lightweight AR smart glasses and additional XR platforms. Unity remains a core partner in this vision, enabling scalable, adaptable solutions for future iterations.

Beyond navigation

Google Maps for Android XR is a testament to the potential of XR in reshaping how people interact with the world around them.

Unity’s technological contributions played an undeniable role in this success, ensuring the project’s delivery met Google’s high standards for performance, scalability, and user engagement.

Regardless of whether you’re planning a globe-trotting adventure, scouting filming locations, or simply dreaming of your next getaway, Google Maps for Android XR provides the tools to bring your vision to life.