Google-maps – Automatically open satellite view on Google Maps

The directions method in Benj's answer didn't work for me anymore. The following query string parameters seemed to do it for me:

https://maps.google.com/?lci=transit_comp

You can find parameters in use for the current view by clicking on the Link button on the left side.

To answer the question regarding changing the default settings in the web app, I can't seem to find a way to change the default layers.

The Lite mode of the new Google Maps does not include the 3D Earth view or other 3D functionality. You can see if you are in lite mode by looking for the "Lite mode" indicator in the bottom right corner of the map.

Lite mode supported browsers and operating systems

The new Google Maps may default to Lite mode for older browsers and operating systems, as well as on browsers that do not support WebGL and on systems where WebGL is known to be unstable. Lite mode supported browses include Safari 6+, IE 10, or IE 11. Lite mode will also work for Windows XP, (except for Firefox) or Mac OSX lower than 10.8.3.

Troubleshooting

If you are having problems running 3D mode, and have a supported browser and operating system as listed above, there may be other issues preventing you from running in 3D mode. There are a few things you can try to resolve the issue:

• Restart your browser
• Ensure you have applied all system updates, particularly video card driver updates.

If the new Google Maps seems slow, using Lite mode can often help improve performance:

• Click this link to switch to Lite Mode: http://www.google.com/maps/preview/?force=canvas
• Click this link to switch to full 3D mode: http://www.google.com/maps/preview/?force=webgl
• Click this link to revert to your system’s default: http://www.google.com/maps/preview/?force=clear

Note: if you are having trouble with one of the links, you may need to edit the URL to align with your regular Google Maps domain (e.g. change .com to .co.uk)