Why is Google Maps blurry in certain countries and locations?  Premium

Several countries that have hostile relations with their neighbours or militant groups tend to resist being clearly mapped on Google’s navigation system, degrading the experience for users.

The experience of using Google Maps is different in certain locations. While you may get turn-by-turn driving instructions and street-level views with the tap of your finger in several countries, other locations may look blurry and are difficult to navigate by road. A user’s Google Maps experience is often linked to regulations in particular countries that curtail the use of satellite imaging and geographic surveys. This raises a set of questions about security and transparency.

Several countries that have hostile relations with their neighbours or militant groups tend to resist being clearly mapped on Google’s navigation system. They fear that making detailed satellite imagery of their land easily available to users could lead to the targeting of critical infrastructure, or planning for potential attacks.

Countries like India, Israel, and South Korea have, over time, changed their tone on mapping. And these changes date back to a couple of decades earlier.

For instance, in 2007, BBC reported that India had asked Google to lower the level of detail in some Google Earth images, for security reasons. Nearly a decade later, in 2016, India resisted Google’s ask for ground-level photographs for its Street View offering. Street View only returned to the country in 2022. But, in late 2025, Google announced that it was boosting its Maps service with Gemini AI, allowing people to get personalised travel advice and ask questions. The company noted then that it had data for about 35 million places in India.

Israel is another country that poses a quandary to Google Maps users. Zoom lightly into multiple parts of Israel and you are likely to be met by extremely blurry houses and out-of-focus manmade structures, or blurred out areas adjoined to far more discernible zones. Near Gaza, however, users can zoom in to clearly see the devastating aftermath of Israel’s military action, such as the detailed rubble of the ruined Jabalia refugee camp market.

A comparison showing how locations on Google Maps can have different levels of clarity, featuring a blurry neighbourhood in Israel, pictured above, and a clearer image of Gaza, pictured below | Photo Credit: Map data ©2026 Google