Change the map mode

Select platform: Android iOS JavaScript

The following 3D map modes are available in the Maps 3D SDK for Android:

  • ROADMAP displays the default roadmap view with basemap labels.
  • SATELLITE displays a photorealistic map based on aerial imagery.
  • HYBRID displays the satellite map view with basemap labels.

Set the map mode programmatically

Set the map mode dynamically in your code by calling the setMapMode method on your GoogleMap3D object and passing one of the Map3DMode values:

// Add imports
import com.google.android.gms.maps3d.model.Map3DMode

...

// Add to the onMap3DViewReady method, after the googleMap3D object has been initialized
googleMap3D.setMapMode(Map3DMode.ROADMAP)

Set the map mode in layout XML

Specify the initial map mode directly when declaring the Map3DView component in your layout XML file using the map3d:mapMode attribute:

<com.google.android.gms.maps3d.Map3DView
    android:id="@+id/map3dView"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    map3d:mapMode="roadmap" />

Use cases

The following are common use cases for each map mode:

  • Roadmap: Ideal for navigation-heavy apps where legibility and street-level data are primary.
  • Satellite and Hybrid: Ideal for real estate, environmental monitoring, or tourism apps where visual fidelity and terrain context are essential.