Apple has drastically expanded its Look Around street photo service in Germany. Countless cities and even small villages have been added.
Apple has significantly expanded its street photography service Look Around in Germany. The service, which was only launched in this country in the spring, now includes countless cities and even the smallest villages. Apple has thus clearly overtaken its competitor Google Street View, which was launched in 2010 and has not been expanded since 2011 following protests.
Images from 2020
In many places, Apple’s footage apparently dates from 2020, as can be seen from the gas station prices along the routes, among other things. In the first year of Corona, Apple was also on the road with its camera vehicles for surveying and image capture.
Look around was introduced in Germany at the end of April, when Apple also published the revised map material with significantly more detail. Initially, only Munich, which is also the German headquarters of the US company, was at the start. Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart followed a short time later. Cologne, Düsseldorf and other cities in North Rhine-Westphalia were added in mid-June. At the end of June then Berlin, Hamburg and other places.
Apple itself has not yet commented on the further expansion stages. In this respect, it is also unclear why, after starting with a metropolis and other large areas, everything seems to appear at once.
Where contradiction is possible
The launch of Google Street View sparked a wave of outrage in the early 2010s. The US group referred to the freedom of panorama, but finally gave in and decided against further expansion. However, the old recordings from that time remained online. In the case of Apple, the Bavarian state data protection authority is responsible for Germany. Interested parties can see further details on an information page, including how pixelation of your own house facade is possible.
