It means you can check out your neighborhood (or someone else\u2019s neighborhood) as far back as twenty years ago. You can see what\u2019s changed and what hasn\u2019t. It works for the most iconic streets and locations in the world too, from Times Square to the Arc de Triomphe. Here\u2019s how to use the feature.<\/p>\n
How to find Street View time travel![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/popular_science_109\/7ed682add22279aaf02a4658254ffe93.jpeg\"\/)
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See how iconic spots have changed over time. Screenshot: Google<\/p>\n
The feature is a little easier to use through Google Maps on the web<\/a>, not least because there\u2019s more screen real estate to work with. Scroll and pan to the part of the world that you want to take a look at, or use the search box up in the top left corner to jump to somewhere specific.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n You can find the little Street View pegman icon down in the bottom left corner (yes, pegman is his official name<\/a>). Click and drag the pegman over to the map, and you\u2019ll see all the roads, paths, lanes, and freeways that support Street View highlighted in blue. Drop the pegman on the spot you want to take a look at.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll go straight into the immersive Street View mode, with ground-level imagery. Use the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to take a look around. You can also start moving up and down the street using the up and down arrow keys, or by clicking the arrow icons overlaid on the ground.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the time travel bit: Click the See more dates link up in the top left corner, and along the bottom of the screen you\u2019ll see thumbnails of older imagery, together with dates\u2014scroll to the right to see the oldest available pictures.<\/p>\n Bear in mind that the total number of different date options, and the years they cover, are going to vary depending on\u00a0 how long Google\u2019s Street View cars have been covering a particular area, and how regularly they\u2019ve been back. You\u2019ll find there\u2019s quite a substantial difference in how far you can go back, depending on where you are in the world.<\/p>\n Exploring neighborhoods of the past Historical imagery can be accessed through the Google Maps mobile apps too. Screenshot: Google<\/p>\n As soon as you select one of the image thumbnails representing an earlier year, you\u2019ll be taken back in time in Street View. You can still look around and explore as before\u2014the views you see will be from the same year you\u2019ve selected, until you choose a different month and date from the carousel at the bottom.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It lets you check out how businesses and houses have changed over time, and in some locations you\u2019ll even be able to see roads or buildings being built (or being leveled) as the years go by. For busy areas, you get an interesting peek into the changing fashions for both people and vehicles.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible to check out famous landmarks in this way too, though if they\u2019re iconic then they don\u2019t tend to be modified much over time. When you\u2019re ready to return to the present day, click the See latest date link in the top left corner.<\/p>\n You can time travel through Street View through the Google Maps apps for Android<\/a> and iOS<\/a> as well. To get to Street View, long-press on a road on the map, then tap the Street View thumbnail that pops up in the lower left corner. You can then tap the date label (top left) to find other dates.<\/p>\n![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/popular_science_109\/d38b25ed4f1b512852d6c4c623d8ad8c.jpeg\"\/)
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