How Often Does Google Earth and Google Maps Update Satellite Images?

Using the Google Maps Toolkit, you can view and customize maps by adjusting their details. The service also allows you to switch between the Satellite and "Map" modes which makes it easier to focus on objects.

In this article, we'll explain how often Google Earth updates, how frequently Google Maps satellite images are refreshed, and how to check whether the data is current. This can be quickly done via the Google Earth service that many users have forgotten about.

The information on maps can become out-of-date quite fast. Because of this, instead of showing the current location of houses, roads, and other objects, Google Maps and Google Earth might provide users with older satellite imagery of the chosen area. Accordingly, it's impossible to rely on the data without knowing when it was last updated.

How Often Does Google Maps Update?

About a billion users rely on this service. Since 2005, Google Maps has become available worldwide, contributing to its widespread popularity.

Besides, the service is more convenient to use compared to its competitors: both for traveling on foot, by car or bicycle, and for business purposes as well. Maps work accurately and stably. Moreover, you can use them for free and without explicit restrictions.

The main problem with online maps is outdated satellite imagery data (especially for less populated areas) and uncertainty about when these aerial pictures were taken.

How Often are Google Maps Updated?

Map data provided by Google is updated every second: information on organizations, ratings, traffic congestion and other events.

Unlike object data, the satellite images themselves aren't refreshed as frequently as users would prefer.

The standard interval for updating maps on Google Maps is 1-3 years. In some cases, updates occur sooner or later, depending on the location or the demand for specific data by the service users (according to statistics).

For map sections in high demand, the update frequency can be accelerated from several years to 1 month.

How Often is Google Maps Satellite View Updated?

First, let's define what satellite images are. These are actually images taken by cameras on airplanes, not satellites. They have a high resolution and are used in Google Maps in satellite view.

This is what one Quora user writes about Google Earth update frequency:

I've checked out images from various places in Italy, the U.S. I know all these places to the smallest detail, and so I can notice that not all images have changed. Some satellite images haven't been updated in 5 years. Neighbors who live in my town rebuilt the house a long time ago, and on Google Maps it's been frozen in the past for 5 years.

When Does Google Maps Update Satellite Images?

Satellite images are updated according to how often they change. For example, more frequently changing areas (cities, metropolitan areas) are updated every month. Accordingly, less populated places will keep the same view for months or even years. This trend is applicable to both Google Earth and Google Maps in Satellite view mode.

So the quick answer to "how often does Google Earth update?" or "how often does Google Maps update satellite images?" is: Satellite view maps are updated every one month to 10 years (according to Google Earth and Maps user reviews). There are a lot of factors that affect the update frequency schedule.

When Will Google Maps Update My House?

If you're wondering when Google Maps will update your house, the answer depends on several factors:

1. Your location (urban areas get more frequent updates)
2. Recent construction or changes in your area
3. Population density
4. Strategic importance of your region

For most residential areas in cities, you can expect Google Earth images to update every 1-3 years. Rural areas may wait longer between updates, sometimes up to 5 years or more.

Where the Google Maps Service Gets Its Updates From

The service has many sources for updating maps and satellite imagery:

• Data received from satellites
• Aerial photos and snapshots
• Information provided by Google Maps users
• Pictures of the area taken by Google employees (Google Street View project)

In total, about 1,000 sources are used to obtain data, including geological surveys, information from organizations and municipalities. This is why Google Earth images are updated with varying frequency depending on the source.

Do Maps Change in Realtime?

Information on maps is rarely updated in real-time.

In some situations (major global events, emergencies), Google updates locations on its maps in real-time.

For example, this can happen in cases of natural disasters: the map shows damage, accidents, places of assistance and other critical information.

However, in most cases, updates occur with the planned frequency—in normal mode, once a month, six months, or a year. So if you're asking "how often do they update Google Maps?" for typical areas, it's not in real-time.

How to Find Out When Google Earth Update Occurred

You can't check when satellite images were updated via the Google Maps service (both via the mobile or browser version).

However, you can install the Google Earth program and go to the desired location via the search bar. In the lower corner, you'll find the date when the satellite picture was saved (see a more detailed manual below).

This is the only way to find out the update schedule and when the satellite data was last refreshed on Google Maps or Google Earth.

Google Earth Update Schedule

Google Earth service uses the same data as Google Maps, so you can use this program to get the date of the last update of maps from the satellite.

1. Go to https://www.google.com/intl/en/earth/versions/#download-pro

2. Download and install Google Earth desktop version
3. Place the cursor in the search bar by opening the sidebar
4. Enter the name of the required location and press Enter

5. Wait for the location to open
6. The status bar will display the date when that satellite photo was taken.

How Often Are Google Earth Images Updated Compared to Other Providers?

While we've discussed Google Earth and Google Maps update frequency, you might wonder how this compares to other providers:

Apple Maps Satellite Update Frequency

How often does Apple Maps update satellite images? Apple typically updates its satellite imagery every 1-3 years, similar to Google. However, Apple doesn't provide an easy way to check when images were last updated.

Snap Map and Life360 Satellite Updates

How often does Snap Map update satellite images? Snap Map and Life360 use third-party satellite imagery providers, which typically update less frequently than Google Earth—generally every 2-3 years for most locations.

How Up to Date is Google Earth?

In terms of how current Google Earth imagery is, the service tries to maintain images that are no more than 3 years old for populated areas. However, the actual age of images varies dramatically:

• Major cities: Images are typically 1-3 years old
• Rural areas: Images may be 3-5 years old
• Remote locations: Images could be 5-10 years old

When will Google Earth update again? There's no published schedule, but based on historical patterns, your area is likely to be updated within the timeframes mentioned above.

FAQ

How often does Google Maps take a picture of my house?

According to the official reference information available on Google developers' blog, satellite images are updated at least once a month for high-priority areas. However, this applies only to the highest priority areas of the map, which regularly need to be updated. So it is quite possible that the image of your house will not be updated for one to 3.5 years.

How do you know the exact date and time of the last Google Maps update?

Unfortunately, Google Maps does not provide information about the date when the images were updated. This data is available neither in the web version of Maps nor in the mobile app.

However, you can find out the update date by downloading the Google Earth program on your computer. Open the area on the map and zoom in. At the bottom corner, you will notice the date showing the exact date of the map update. This data is common for both Google Earth and Maps.

Are Google Maps updated often? When was the last satellite update?

According to official information, some maps are updated even in real-time—most likely for traffic events on the road. As for satellite images (which are used by the Maps app), the regularity is determined by how popular a particular place is. On average, satellite pictures are updated once a month for important areas, but most residential areas see updates every 1-3 years.

Why are some maps not updated frequently in Google Maps?

Perhaps you're using an offline version of Maps, which is already outdated. In this case, if the Internet is slow and/or communication with GPS satellites is not available, Google Maps data may not be updated.

We advise you to fix all technical problems, then update the version of the Maps app on your phone and try again.

Is Street View updated with the same frequency as Google Maps?

Yes, Google updates major and popular cities about once a year. Accordingly, the less populated the area, the less often Street View is updated.

As with Google Earth, the update interval is typically 1-3 years. In some cases (disasters, wars, etc.), map update times may decrease.

How often do they update Google Earth compared to Google Maps?

Both Google Earth and Google Maps use the same satellite imagery database, so they update at the same frequency. When Google Earth images are updated, the same updates appear in Google Maps satellite view, and vice versa.