Apple Maps on the web gets a much-needed feature with a recent update

Back in June, Apple introduced a beta version of Apple Maps on the web, which lets people using Windows PCs access its map service from a web browser. At launch, the beta service was quite limited. But Apple has not forgotten about it and now it's including an important new feature to it, Look Around.

Look Around is basically Apple's version of Street View. The web version of Apple Maps is now getting this feature as noted by Chris Carley on Threads. Reportedly, it seems that the feature was enabled for the web version of Apple Maps sometime around December 11.

Look Around was introduced back in 2019 with iOS 13. The feature lets Apple users explore their surroundings with 360-degree panoramic views to better find themselves on the map and gain an idea of where they are. Look Around is not available everywhere, but where available, you can access it by tapping or clicking on the binoculars icon in Apple Maps.

Apple's Street View-like feature is now available in select cities in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., the European Union, and a few other countries (check the full list of countries here).

Apple Maps on the web is still in a "public beta" phase. The web app lets you use Apple Maps from a browser even if you don't have an Apple device: you are able to explore the map, search for businesses or points of interest, find directions, and view Guides. Unfortunately, at this point features like transit maps and 3D buildings are not available yet.

Also, there's no option to sign in with an Apple ID to access saved places on the web at this point.

Apple has stated that support for more features and languages will be added in the future. Right now, you can try the Apple Maps beta version on the web by accessing beta.maps.apple.com using Safari, Google Chrome, Edge, or Mozilla Firefox browsers.

I find that this feature is very important, especially if you're planning a trip where you've never been before. It's great to know how things look like in real life and be able to situate yourself and where you should go. So, it's great that Apple is letting users on the web access this feature.