- Google discontinues the desktop version of Google Earth Pro
- The web and mobile versions of the application will continue to be available
- You have until June 25, 2027 to download the desktop edition
When it comes to abandoning and discontinuing its own products, Google doesn’t have a particularly stellar track record. The tech giant has given the go-ahead to so many projects that there’s even a Killed by Google website that compiles more than 300 of them.
We can now add Google Earth Pro to the list, and the announcement has caused consternation among Google fans.
An official post on the Google Earth support forums stated that “While you can continue to use the legacy Google Earth Pro desktop app, it will no longer be available for new downloads starting June 25, 2027.” Users are directed toward the mobile and web versions of the app “for the best experience in Google Earth.”
As long as you’ve downloaded it, you’ll be able to continue using the desktop version of Google Earth Pro after June 25. If you want to bring your saved Places and Projects from the desktop app to the web or mobile device, you’ll need to follow Google’s instructions.
Google didn’t say exactly why it was discontinuing Google Earth Pro on desktop, only that “We continue to make Google Earth on the web and mobile the best place for people to get useful geospatial information.” But there is no doubt that the decision to add one more product to Google’s graveyard will not sit well with many users.
Going, going, gone
As expected, dozens of Google users have appeared on social networks complaining about the measure. Below the Google forum post, for example, an anonymous user said: “Google Earth web is functionally useless for any kind of serious project. The maximum number of 250,000 vertices is ridiculous. It severely limits the number of existing datasets I’m using in the desktop version. [user interface] “It is intrusive and clutters the map, forcing the user to constantly move and zoom in and out to see something meaningful.”
That sentiment was echoed by sdot-p on Reddit, who lamented that “The impact for thousands of companies across all industries will be enormous. Earth Pro is built into workflows at a scale that can’t be changed without ridiculous amounts of effort. And even then the company will likely be in a worse position than before. We’re talking impact for contractors, surveyors, utilities, municipalities, archaeologists, etc.”
Other users were more prosaic. “They accidentally created something that created too much value that they couldn’t monetize,” MTGuy406 joked on Reddit, reflecting a long-standing sentiment that Google is quick to abandon projects that don’t have enough impact on their bottom line, no matter how beloved they may be.
I also have a soft spot for Google Earth Pro, having first used it many years ago to download North Korea Uncovered, a Google Earth project that aimed to map and label nearly every building and landmark within the secretive state. It’s unclear whether or not this will work as well on the web, given criticism of the user interface and experience of the non-desktop version of Google Earth.
If you’ve been tempted to download Google Earth Pro to your desktop but haven’t been able to do so, now is the time to do it. You will find the download on the Google website; Make sure you download it before it’s too late.
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