Whether you're using Apple Maps or Google Maps, maps have been an integral part of our daily lives. However, have you ever had a map give you the wrong information? I have. At that point, I was traveling abroad and navigated to a restaurant, but when I arrived only to found that it had closed down.
Undoubtedly, the outdated information always causes great inconvenience. So, understanding how frequently maps update can be important. This time, we will explore how often Google Maps updates and what contributes to these updates.
Here's a quick breakdown of how often Google Maps updates:
| Data Type | Update Frequency |
|---|---|
| Satellite Image | Every 1 to 3 years (urban areas) / 3 to 5 years (rural areas) |
| Street View | Every 2 years (urban areas) / 3+ years (rural areas) |
| Traffic Data | Every 5 to 10 minutes (high-traffic areas) / 30 to 60 minutes (low-traffic areas) |
| Shared Location | Real-time updates |
| Points of Interest | Updated daily to monthly |
*Note: Google Maps does not have an official update schedule, so this table is for reference only. What's more, the frequency of updates may vary depending on different situations.
Satellite images look like photographs of the Earth's surface, offering the most realistic view of geographical areas. Google Maps relies on satellite imagery captured by commercial satellites and aerial photos to offer a high-quality satellite view.
The update cycle is:
Street View provides 360-degree imagery of roads, allowing you to explore locations virtually. Like satellite images, Street View updates depend on regions.
Google Maps provides real-time traffic information derived from GPS signals, road sensors, and user feedback. The frequency of updates depends on road conditions.
Google Maps' location-sharing feature is updated in real time. With a good GPS signal and an ongoing internet connection, location tracking is very accurate. However, there are times when Google Maps cannot update shared location. At this time, we suggest using an alternative way to fetch live location.
Points of Interest (POIs) are business establishments, landmarks, and public transportation stops. Google Maps periodically refreshes them based on submissions from business owners, user contributions, and artificial intelligence detection.
Popular places like shopping centers and eateries are refreshed daily or weekly, whereas small businesses and rural landmarks may take months or years to update.
Several factors influence Google Maps' update frequency. Understanding this provides insight into how Google Maps update its data.
To collect map data, Google Maps uses satellites, aerial photography, vehicles equipped with 360° cameras, public data, business listings, etc. However, the data collection may be suspended or delayed due to development, weather, costs, or emergencies.
For example, adverse weather conditions such as snow or poor visibility not only make satellites challenging to capture images but also affect the quality of images captured by Street View vehicles.
Cities that are in a state of constant rapid development and infrastructure changes are updated more regularly. Their satellite imagery, Street View, and Points of Interest are periodically updated because their technological infrastructure facilitates more comprehensive and timely data collection.
Rural and low-population areas take years to update since demand is minimal and there are few data points. Moreover, due to poor signals and infrastructures, even if the data is obtained, it will take a long time to be uploaded to the Google Maps database.
Google Maps also encourages users to submit reports to update map information. Users can suggest edits to business details, report incorrect addresses, or highlight missing roads. These reports, especially for POI and navigation routes are reviewed and, if verified, incorporated and updated into the map.
Natural disasters, major construction projects, and large-scale events can prompt faster updates. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods can trigger quicker updates by Google to facilitate proper navigation and road conditions. In a similar vein, the construction of new highways, bridges, and city developments may trigger quicker updates in specific areas.
If you're using Google Maps to share location with your family members, you may need to pay extra attention because it may happen that the location does not update or they stop sharing the location with your knowledge.
This time, we suggest you using specific apps like AirDroid Parental Control to avoid the above issues.
This app has features purposefully designed to monitor the surroundings and well-being of your loved ones. You can know the live location of family members and review the route history to ensure their safety. Moreover, it lets you observe their surroundings if your child is using an Android.
Google Maps satellite imagery is outdated, so how do you request updates?
If you notice that the satellite imagery on Google Maps is outdated, you can request an update by following:
How do you see older Google Maps Street views?
Google Maps has a feature that allows you to view historical Street View photos and have virtual "time travel." Here is how you can do it:
How do you change Google Maps to satellite view?
To switch to satellite view in Google Maps, just tap the layers icon (two stacked squares) in the top-right corner. Then, you can choose the "Satellite" option to switch to the map view.
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