Look Around, the Apple Maps feature that provides 360-degree views of locations at ground level, is starting to expand outside the US. Unusually for Apple, it’s coming to Japan before anywhere else, and is now live in four cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto.
Much like Google Street View, Look Around let you see 360-degree views taken by Apple Maps vehicles like the one shown in this image (ironically capture by a Google Street View vehicle). They appear in a pop-up window when you click on the binoculars icon, rather than taking up the entire window as when you transition from Google Maps to Street View images.
Along with Look Around, Apple has brought other new Maps features to Japan, including improved navigation and Siri guidance. The Map 2.0 features likely came to Japan before other nations as Apple was preparing a launch for the 2020 Olympics, which have since been postponed over the COVID-19 epidemic.
Apple has been very slow with the rollout. Look Around first came to the US as part of iOS 13 last year, but it’s still only available in eight major locations including Boston, San Francisco, and New York City.
