# Google pictures **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258 "2024-09-14T13:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/1 "2024-09-14T13:28:02Z")
Has anyone noticed lately that when you look up an address on Google, I get pictures of back of buildings, vacant lot and once picture of sidewalk, which are useless. Is it just here in St Louis, or have others noticed this. Google going downhill? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/2 "2024-09-14T13:34:47Z")
I juat checked several addresses in different states and all showed the fronts of the buildings. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/3 "2024-09-14T13:36:17Z")
Google is pretty accurate around here (south-eastern PA, for what it’s worth). I’ve never seen any useless pictures as described in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/4 "2024-09-14T13:42:00Z")
Is this Google Street View or just some pics someone uploaded somewhere? If it is Street View can you use the controls to move around and see the front? I have not seen Google Street view go down an alley but I’ve never tried to do that either. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/5 "2024-09-14T13:52:29Z")
Yeah, which “pictures” are the OP talking about? The “satellite” view doesn’t do that. The streetview everywhere I’ve lived, even downtown STL, don’t do that. Conversely, the little line of thumbnails along the bottom are whatever Google has on file that end-users have uploaded for that location. Those can be shite. Becausue the public is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/6 "2024-09-14T14:37:14Z")
If I google my town in Switzerland, Google will return pictures from a city in German which is much bigger. I just did a search, and included Switzerland, and the very first picture is a very large church with two spires. We have two churches, no spires. Supposedly the person who posted the picture is a “local guide”. Not very trustworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/7 "2024-09-14T14:59:02Z")
I use Google street view frequently in my volunteer work, and I have not noticed any change recently. Specifically: when you click on an address, you will get a static photo, ideally of the property, and if you click on the static photo, you will go into street view, where you can move around the view, travel up and down the street, look up at a taller building, look down at the ground, zoom in and out, and so on. If the static view is not accurate (which I don’t think I have seen happen) you can certainly get a better view in street view. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/8 "2024-09-14T16:45:52Z")
Could you give us an address that you’ve seen this problem happen with so we can try it? That will eliminate (or help confirm) whether or not it has anything to do with your device(s). I picked a completely random address in St Louis and it dropped me exactly where I’d have expected it to. > [@fedman1](#): > > Is it just here in St Louis Try another city. This address: 3158 S Howell Ave Milwaukee, WI 53207 should drop you right in the middle of the road in front of a bar called The Bubbler. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/9 "2024-09-14T18:47:46Z")
5290 delmar ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/10 "2024-09-14T18:50:02Z")
or Legacy Books 5249 Delmar ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/11 "2024-09-14T21:27:29Z")
5290 delmar dropped me in the middle of the road, as I’d expect it to. Legacy Books dropped me in the alley behind the building. Freeway Insurance, in the same strip mall does also drops me in the alley. The Israelite School, same mall, but closer to the road, drops me on the sidewalk. The few houses I tried seem to work fine, but other business in the immediate area had some other issues. Mostly that instead of a map, it just showed me pictures that I’m guessing are from either the business or google reviews. Also, checking back at the school, the map doesn’t drop you on the sidewalk, it’s just a picture. I’m not sure. It does seem like the maps, at least in that area, are screwed up. In any case, it appears to be a known issue. [https://support.google.com/maps/thread/251821923/google-maps-keeps-sending-people-to-the-alley-in-the-back-of-our-house?hl=en](https://support.google.com/maps/thread/251821923/google-maps-keeps-sending-people-to-the-alley-in-the-back-of-our-house?hl=en) [https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/rqlsms/google\_maps\_is\_taking\_people\_to\_our\_alley/](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/rqlsms/google_maps_is_taking_people_to_our_alley/) If you google “google maps sends me to the alley”, you’ll get lots of other people, mostly delivery drivers, having problems with this as well. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-pictures/1007258/12 "2024-09-14T22:19:05Z")
thanks for response–Google did same thing for Dollar Tree on south Kingshighway