Google withdraw support for standalone Street View app from app stores

Google will remove the standalone Street View app from app stores in the "coming weeks" and end support for the service in March 2023, according to spokesman Madison Gouveia.

Google Street View is a simple method to see a 360° view of practically any street on the earth, ideal for planning your next trip or simply exploring the world from the comfort of your own home. While the Google Maps app has long provided an easy method to access Street View, there is also a standalone Street View app available for Android and iOS.

This standalone software catered to two categories of users: those who wanted to explore Street View in depth and those who wanted to submit their own 360° photos. Given that the more popular Google Maps app has Street View functionality and Google provides a "Street View Studio" online app for contributors, it's no surprise that the Street View app is being phased out.

Google has prepared a number of deprecation/shutdown messages for the Street View app in the current update, version 2.0.0.484371618. 

Google states in the notification that the Street View app will be discontinued on March 31, 2023, and encourages users to use Google Maps or Street View Studio instead.

• Street View App is going away
• The app is going away and support will end March 21, 2023.
• To publish your own 360 video, switch to Street View Studio. To view Street View and add Photo Spheres, use Google Maps.

The "Photo Paths" function, on the other hand, is being completely phased out with the retirement of the Street View app. Photo Paths, which debuted last year, were designed to allow anybody with a smartphone to contribute basic 2D photographs of a road or trail that had not previously been photographed by Street View. There is no equivalent for Photo Paths on the web app or Google Maps app, unlike every other feature of the Street View app.

This adjustment does not imply that Google is abandoning Maps in any meaningful way. Only a few weeks ago, the business demonstrated some of the ways it intends to make the app more immersive, including what it calls a "Immersive Picture," which provides a 3D aerial view of a specific place with characteristics such as weather and traffic.