Google has just pushed out a nice update for the Google Earth platform, going from version 7.1.1.1888 to 7.1.2.2041. You can download it from earth.google.com.
Remember that new versions of Google Earth have nothing to do with the imagery. Imagery updates arrive for all users of Google Earth, regardless of what version they’re using. We try to keep you updated with that information as well, such as the imagery update that rolled out recently.
According to the changelog, the following issues were addressed in this update:
- The “Enable Controller” option in user preferences is now turned off by default. This prevents red directional arrows from displaying as a result of uncalibrated joysticks and other controllers being connected to Earth at startup.
- For enhanced security, “Use HTTPS for Google connections” is now toggled on by default.
- We fixed a bug whereby the cache size rose above user-specified limits.
- We fixed a crash resulting from searching on some Windows machines.
- We updated the LEAP API to version 1.08.
- We reduced LEAP controller sensitivity to user hand motions. This enables a smoother flight and greater control over your flight path when using a LEAP.
These are some nice updates. We’ve had a number of users write in confused about the directional arrows appearing when they didn’t expect them, and the tweaks the LEAP motion controls will be nice to have. While I’m quite pleased with how well the LEAP works with Google Earth (read our full review), it certainly could stand a bit of fine-tuning.
Go out and download this new update from the official source at earth.google.com.