iPhone

Google today announced a major update for its popular Earth app for iPhone and iPad, bringing many new features that debuted on the desktop and web app in April of this year.

Importantly, it's received much needed support for 64-bit iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices to ensure that it will continue to run on iOS 11 which does not support 32-bit apps at all.

But first, check out the key highlights of this release:

Choose your own adventure with Voyager—Experience interactive stories from around the world. Discover new places with Knowledge Cards—Flip through cards and learn about local landmarks. Orbit the world in 3D—Use the new 3D button or tilt the map with two fingers. Snap and share a Postcard—Capture snapshots of locations and share them with your friends. Feeling Lucky?—Roll the dice and see where the world takes you.

If you like the Flyover feature on Apple Maps, you'll love 3D imagery in Google Earth for iPhone and iPad. To switch to the three-dimensional view, tap a new 3D button and use two fingers to rotate and tilt your vantage point (hint: use this mode to explore Apple Park in all its glory).

You can also capture snapshots of the various locations you find in Earth and share them with your friends. To snap a virtual postcard, tap a new camera icon in the app's toolbar section.

And to help you plan your trip, Google Earth for iOS allows you to experience interactive stories from around the world. Called Voyager, this feature is available Under the Travel category.

There, you’ll find detailed multi-day itineraries for seventeen major cities around the world, including tours like “Paris with Kids”, “Beyond the Beaches of Rio de Janeiro” and many more.

Here are a few other Voyager tours worth checking out:

Natural Treasures from BBC Earth—Journey to six habitats, from islands to mountains to jungles, and learn about the unique and thrilling wildlife in each. Gombe National Park in Tanzania—Hear from Jane Goodall about her team’s chimpanzee research and conservation efforts. Mexico with Lola—Check out the little monsters featured in Sesame Street’s Girl Muppets Around the World, and learn about modern Mayan cultures.

If you'd like to jump to someplace new, you should try Google's “I'm Feeling Lucky” feature by tapping a new dice icon in the toolbar. Lastly, Knowledge Cards, another new feature in Google Earth for iPhone and iPad, makes it easy to see related facts for a place.

Just pull up from the bottom of the screen to bring up a card with rich information about the thousands of places and landmarks around the world. As I mentioned before, the app now supports 64-bit hardware and comes with a brand new icon for your Home screen.

Grab Google Earth for iOS for free from App Store.