Since 2024, Google has begun covering several European countries it had either never covered before or hadn’t updated in years. Following a wave of country updates and releases—including Iceland, Liechtenstein, San Marino—and with Montenegro recently confirmed for coverage, which was announced last week, it now appears that North Macedonia may be next in line to receive Gen 4 imagery!
Today, news sites in North Macedonia are reporting that Google Street View cars will return to North Macedonian roads this spring, primarily covering public roads. Currently, there’s no information about which vehicle will be used in North Macedonia, but with several recent Smallcam releases, it could be likely that we’ll see Smallcam being used in North Macedonia, although pickup/regular coverage is also possible.
Currently, coverage is planned for both cities and highways, with the cities of Skopje, Kumanovo, Bitola, Prilep, Tetovo, Shtip, Veles, Ohrid and Strumica included in the plan. However, this is subject to change and may expand as the coverage progresses. All of these towns have previously had Generation 3 coverage, with the exception of Shtip, which currently doesn’t have any coverage.
There’s no information yet on how many kilometers will be driven or when the coverage will begin, but we can likely expect a situation similar to Iceland—quick execution, a near-term start within the coming weeks, and reasonably thorough coverage.
With North Macedonia now confirmed for updated coverage, it appears that Google is gradually filling gaps in Street View, as predicted earlier, particularly across Europe. Countries like Iceland, Albania, San Marino, Serbia, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Malta and most recently, Montenegro have either received their first Gen 4 coverage or are planned to receive it, with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus also gaining their first official imagery
Recently, Montenegro received confirmation for its first Generation 4 imagery, in a press release similar to that of North Macedonia. Given this trend, we may soon see countries like Armenia or Moldova included as well—possibly confirmed using the same method.