360 virtual tours and Street View for hotels and holiday rentals on Google: what you can publish in 2026, requirements, rules and whether you have to pay

Updated: 10 November 2026

A 360 virtual tour lets travellers look around the reception, the room or the terrace as if they were there. On Google it is published on Maps, next to the property's listing. Google has changed and retired several Street View tools in recent years, so we read only its official help and Street View pages (links at the end). We give what they say today; where we could not confirm something, we say so. This is not legal advice: Google's policies change and the official pages are what count.

Summary

360 photos (Photo Spheres): uploaded to Google Maps the same way as flat photos, with the Google Maps app for Android or in a computer browser. At least 7.5 MP (3,840 x 1,920 px), 2:1 ratio and up to 75 MB.
360 videos: uploaded to Street View Studio (.mp4 or .mov). Only outdoor videos are converted into Street View; indoor collections usually cannot log accurate GPS.
Virtual tours (linked 360 photos): made with third-party apps; Google takes up to four days to process them.
Photo Paths (connected photos taken with a phone) are no longer supported; the current official pages no longer mention the Street View app.
In the pages we read, Google charges nothing to publish, does not employ photographers or agencies, and nobody can guarantee a better position on Google or in an AI.

What Google allows today

According to Google Maps Help and the Street View website:

Single 360 photos on the property's listing: published like any photo, from the Google Maps app for Android or a computer browser. The help page does not mention the iPhone.
Street View routes: record a 360 video with a compatible camera and upload it to Street View Studio, on desktop or mobile. Processing can take several days. It works for streets, paths, gardens or the approach to the property, not for the inside.
Indoor virtual tour: created by linking 360 photos with a third-party tool (the Street View website lists tour software such as Pano2VR and TourBuilder). Google recommends starting from the street and continuing inside, and keeping indoor collections to 100 photos.
For developers there is the Street View Publish API, which publishes 360 photos to Google Maps with their position and connections.
As a verified owner you manage your business photos from Business Profile. The Business Profile photo pages do not mention 360 photos: we could not confirm whether its manager accepts them directly.

What Google has retired or changed

Photo Paths: «Google no longer supports Photo Paths» and new ones cannot be published. In 2020 Google's blog announced that the Street View app for Android could record connected photos with a phone; that route no longer exists.
Street View app: the official pages we read no longer mention it and point to the Google Maps app and Street View Studio. We did not find the exact retirement date on an official page: not confirmed.
«Street View trusted» photographer programme: Google's old addresses for hiring a trusted pro now show the general «publish your 360 imagery» page, with no mention of photographers. Whether the programme is still running: not confirmed.
If someone sells you a «Google trusted photographer» badge today, ask them to show you the official page where it appears.

Technical requirements for 360 photos

Help page «Create and publish Photo Spheres to Google Maps» and Maps media tips:

At least 7.5 MP (3,840 x 1,920 px); Google says the best resolution is at least 4K.
2:1 ratio (equirectangular image) and no more than 75 MB.
No gaps around the horizon and no significant stitching errors; minor gaps at the top or bottom are acceptable.
Enough detail in light and dark areas, sharp and without motion blur; no effects or filters in the nadir (the bottom).
Capture: stable camera on a tripod or monopod at about 1.20-1.80 m; one photo every 1 m indoors and every 3 m outdoors, with a clear line of sight between them.
Compatible cameras according to Google: Insta360 (Pro2, Titan, ONE X2, ONE RS 1-Inch, X3), GoPro Max, Labpano Pilot Era and Ricoh Theta X. Google does not certify their mechanical functions.

Content rules

Your own photos, taken with a camera at the property, with the place as the main subject.
Blur faces and number plates; Google says to do it with a third-party tool before uploading.
Superimposed logos or text only in the top or bottom 25% of the 360 image, and never Google branding (Street View or Maps icons) in the nadir or zenith.
No screenshots, stock photos, collages, borders, text or heavy filters. Copied or fake photos break the Maps policy.
Low-quality media may be removed and that cannot be appealed; policy removals can be appealed from Street View Studio.
Under the Street View imagery policy, imagery captured by an external party and published on Google Maps belongs to that contributor: if you hire a photographer, agree in writing who publishes it and who can delete it.

Do you have to pay?

The official pages we read show no price for publishing 360 photos or videos on Google Maps; the Street View website only sends you to manufacturers for camera prices. If a photographer charges you, that is a third-party service: Google says it does not employ photographers or agencies and that they work for independent businesses. Be wary of anyone presenting themselves as a Google employee or promising a guaranteed position on Search, Street View or Maps: Google lists this as a sign of fraud.

What it adds and what it does not

It adds: travellers see the real space (rooms, common areas, access, parking) before booking, which helps avoid surprises and complaints.
For the approach or an entrance that is hard to find, an outdoor Street View route can help.
It does not add, as far as we know: Google does not say in the pages we read that 360 photos improve ranking.
Nobody can guarantee that a 360 tour will make you show up better on Google or in an AI assistant.

Alternatives

Regular photos on Business Profile: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, recommended 720 x 720 px. For hotels, Google asks for at least three photos of the most popular guest rooms. More in our guide /hotel-photos-rules-google-booking-tripadvisor-airbnb-2026.
Videos on Business Profile: up to 30 seconds, 75 MB and 720p or higher. They only show once the profile is verified: /verify-google-business-profile-hotel-2026.
Video or tour on your own website: you can embed a third-party tour; for a video, follow Google Search's video guidelines.

How to mark it up

On Google Maps: publish each 360 photo to the right property listing; links between photos are created with the third-party tool.
On your website, for videos: a page where the video is the main content, a thumbnail at a stable URL, VideoObject structured data (name, description, thumbnailUrl, embedUrl) and, if you like, a video sitemap. Google notes that a 360 video that only complements a page does not make it a watch page.
We did not find a Google structured data type specifically for virtual tours.
To delete: Photo Spheres from the Google Maps app (your profile > Contribute > Photos) and routes from Street View Studio.

How iQuota helps

We make your property available to AI assistants through a connector, with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission, plus an official page where you can link your photos and tour. Nobody can guarantee that an AI or Google will recommend you.

Want an official booking page AI can read and a connector with your real prices, commission-free? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Does Google charge to publish a 360 tour of my hotel?

The official pages we read show no price for publishing. If you pay a photographer, that is a third party: Google does not employ photographers or agencies.

What size should a 360 photo be?

At least 7.5 MP (3,840 x 1,920 px), 2:1 ratio and up to 75 MB; Google recommends at least 4K. 360 videos are uploaded to Street View Studio as .mp4 or .mov.

Does the Street View trusted photographer still exist?

We could not confirm it: the current official pages do not mention it, and Google's fraud prevention page says Google does not employ photographers.

Sources

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