A viral trend is now spreading TikTokwhere people are going back in time by looking up old versions of their homes through Google Street View. As they do, many people are seeing long-deceased family members on the front porch or mowing the lawn, catching glimpses of their younger selves riding bicycles in the driveway or seeing The beloved tree was cut down many years ago.
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While this Google Maps feature isn’t new, it has become an emotional and nostalgic sensation on the Internet — inspiring others to open the app and see what moments were captured in these last year by Street View cars passing quietly by their house.
How to find old Google Maps Street View images of your home
Google Maps makes it easy to see what your home used to look like thanks to the “See more dates” feature in Street View. If you’re ready to join this TikTok trend and look back at old photos of your home from 2007 and earlier, here’s a step-by-step guide.
To get started, you need to open Google Maps, not Apple Maps. You can access Google Maps on your computer or through the Google Maps app on your phone. If you are using a computer, please visit www.google.com/maps. If you’re using a phone, download and install the Google Maps app (Android or iOS) if you have not done so already.
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Once you visit Google Maps, look for the search bar at the top of the screen in both the app and your web browser. Type in the address — whether it’s your house, your grandma’s house, or any other location — and press Enter or tap the search icon. Google Maps will zoom in on the specified location. At first you will see an aerial (satellite) view, but don’t worry because you will switch to Street View in the next step.
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Look for the small yellow figure (often called “Coat Hanger”) in the lower right corner of the screen. You can click and drag Peg Man onto the street to enter Street View. Additionally, on some devices, you may see a small photo thumbnail or a “Street View” button right below your address. Click here to enter Street View mode. In Street View, you’ll see a 360-degree street-level view of the surrounding area.
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This is where you can start walking down memory lane. In your web browser, look for the small clock icon or the words “See more days” in the top left corner of the Street View screen. On mobile devices, this option will appear at the bottom of the screen. If you don’t see it right away, try tapping Street View or along the street by tapping the left or right arrow. This may trigger the “See more days” option to appear.
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When you see “See more days,” click or tap it. A timeline will pop up, showing you all the times a Google Street View vehicle passed by and captured images of the street.
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Each historical view is listed by month and year (like “June 2012” or “October 2009”). Click on the specific date you want to review and the image will change to show what the address looked like at that time. You can click or scroll through the timeline to see all available images.
This is the part that makes TikTok users emotional. If you look at your home, you might spot younger versions of yourself, a beloved pet, or a loved one who is no longer with you. It all depends on who or what is outside when Google’s car passes by the house. If they stop by multiple times over the years, you can see snapshots from 2007, 2012, 2017, etc.
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When was Google Maps Street View added See more days?
Google introduces “See more days” feature for Street View on desktop in 2014allows users to access historical images of various locations. In May 2022, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Street View, Google expanded the feature to its mobile apps, allowing users to view past images across devices Android and iOS.
How far back in time does Google Maps Street View go?
Google Street View images date from May 2007, when the service was first introduced in select US cities.
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Can’t see your home in Google Maps Street View history?
The availability of historical images varies by location, depending on when Google took the photos in that area. In some places, you can view images spanning more than a decade, while in others, the available history may be shorter.
Street View historical images of your home may not be available due to limited data collection in your area, privacy requirements leading to image deletion or blurring, technical issues causing images to be missing or location on a private street restricting access.
Why is Google Maps Street View trending now?
While Google’s “See More Days” feature has been around for years, TikTok seems to have given it new life. you can See an example here.
This “turn back the clock” trend on Google Maps is both heartwarming and nostalgic. Thanks to Google Street View’s timeline, you can see how your home and neighborhood have changed over the years.
If you’re lucky, you might even spot a familiar face waving back at you — time frozen but remembered forever.
