Planning to go out? Here's how you can check live air quality easily on Google Maps

Soon after winter arrived in India, multiple cities across the country began experiencing poor air quality. Among the most affected regions remains the national capital, Delhi, which marks the worst-affected region of India. As per the aqi. in data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 435 on Tuesday, around 9 AM.

Meanwhile, over rising concerns related to air pollution, several people resort to real-time air quality data before heading outside their homes. To support this, Google Maps has come up with a feature depicting real-time AQI of the areas across India, so that people can plan their everyday activities with greater caution.

The AQI can be checked on both its mobile app and desktop site, displaying pollution levels through an easy-to-read colour scale. The index runs from green, indicating good air quality, to dark red, marking dangerous conditions. This data helps users judge whether it’s safe to work out outdoors, modify travel plans or take protective steps like wearing a mask.

Google Maps displays air quality using an hourly updated Air Quality Index (AQI) scale ranging from 0 to 500, where lower numbers indicate cleaner air and higher values signal worsening pollution, categorised as Good (0–50, green), Satisfactory (51–100, yellow), Moderate (101–200, orange), Poor (201–300, red), Very Poor (301–400, purple) and Severe (401–500, maroon).

Step-by-step: How to check AQI on Google Maps

Update the app

• Open the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).
• Search for Google Maps and install any available updates.

Open Google Maps

• Launch the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet.

Tip: If you use Maps on desktop, open maps.google.com in your browser — the steps are similar.

Search for a location

• Tap the search bar at the top and type a city, neighbourhood, landmark or an exact address.
• Alternatively, pinch-to-zoom or double-tap to zoom in on the map to see air quality near your current position.

Open the layers menu

• Look for the layers icon next to the search box; it looks like a small stack of squares (often bottom-right on desktop and top-right or top-left on mobile).
• Tap that icon to open layer options (traffic, public transport, satellite, etc.).

Select “Air Quality”

• In the layers list, choose Air Quality.
• The map will immediately overlay a colour-coded AQI layer showing pollution levels where you’re looking.

Read the colour-coded scale

• The map uses a colour scale (green → yellow → orange → red → dark red) to show air quality from good to hazardous.
• Tap a coloured area or the AQI icon on the map for a numeric AQI value and any additional details (e.g. pollutant levels).