In October 2004, the company was acquired by Google Inc. It was first designed to be separately downloaded by users, but the company later pitched the idea for a purely Web-based product to Google management, changing the method of distribution. Google Maps first started as a C++ program designed by two Danish brothers, Lars and Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen, and Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma, at Sydney-based Where 2 Technologies. In 2017, the app was reported to have 2 billion users on Android, along with several other Google services including YouTube, Chrome, Gmail, Search, and Google Play. By 2013, it was found to be the world's most popular smartphone app, with over 54% of global smartphone owners using it. Google Maps for Android and iOS devices was released in September 2008 and features GPS turn-by-turn navigation along with dedicated parking assistance features. It is still possible to switch back to the 2D map in the settings. In August 2018, the desktop version of Google Maps was updated to show a 3D globe.

Google Maps previously used a variant of the Mercator projection, and therefore could not accurately show areas around the poles. Much of the available satellite imagery is no more than three years old and is updated on a regular basis, according to a 2011 report. Google Maps' satellite view is a 'top-down' or bird's-eye view most of the high-resolution imagery of cities is aerial photography taken from aircraft flying at 800 to 1,500 feet (240 to 460 m), while most other imagery is from satellites. However, crowdsourced contributions to Google Maps were not discontinued as the company announced those features would be transferred to the Google Local Guides program. Google Map Maker allowed users to collaboratively expand and update the service's mapping worldwide but was discontinued from March 2017.

Google Maps offers an API that allows maps to be embedded on third-party websites, and offers a locator for businesses and other organizations in numerous countries around the world. The service's front end utilizes JavaScript, XML, and Ajax. After additional acquisitions of a geospatial data visualization company and a real-time traffic analyzer, Google Maps was launched in February 2005. In October 2004, the company was acquired by Google, which converted it into a web application. Google Maps began as a C++ desktop program developed by brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen at Where 2 Technologies. As of 2020, Google Maps was being used by over 1 billion people every month around the world. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bike, air (in beta) and public transportation. Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. C++ (back-end), JavaScript, XML, Ajax (UI)

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