Google removed the terrain view feature from Maps last year without a prior warning or explanation as to why it was done. But much to the rejoice of hikers and off-roaders, the Mountain View giant has finally brought back the feature with the version 8.1 update of Maps on Android.

As you can see from the screenshot above, this feature basically lets you know about mountains and elevated plains around you. There’s no navigation here as there are usually no roads in such areas, but this should be good enough for people who rely solely on their mobile phone for navigation in hills. (www.richmondartmuseum.org)

The update could take its own sweet time to hit your device, so you can manually download the apk file which is officially signed and verified by Google.

This feature is nothing groundbreaking as hikers have used it with Maps for a long time. However, the surprise disappearance and the re-entry now has taken quite a few of us by surprise. But we’re not going to complain.

Download link: Google Maps version 8.1

Source: XDA Forums

Via: Android Authority