Google is powering up Maps with its Gemini AI, moving away from the old Assistant. This major update revamps the navigation experience with four new features that enable answering multi-step voice queries, providing hands-free traffic reporting, and facilitating instant exploration of your surroundings.
Google continues the process of integrating its Gemini AI into almost all of its products. The company’s latest move focuses on the Google Maps application, which will transform the daily navigation experience for millions of users.
Gemini, which is replacing the former Google Assistant, brings four critical new features to Maps, aiming to make the driving and exploration experience smarter and more personalized. A recently published blog post promised these four significant updates—a “brain transplant“—that will particularly ease the lives of drivers. While some of these updates offer great convenience, some might seem distracting, depending on how much you like interacting with your phone while driving. Notably, Google mentions that you will be able to chat with Gemini inside Maps to follow sports scores or the latest news.
Here are the main Gemini-powered innovations coming to Google Maps, seen as a huge step forward from the app’s old Assistant era:
1. Next-Generation Gemini Voice Assistant
The current Google Assistant in Maps felt like an outdated technology due to limitations, such as its inability to answer multi-step and complex questions. Gemini aims to change this entirely.
- Users will now be able to ask detailed queries like, “Are there any affordable restaurants with vegan options a few miles away on my route?”
- After receiving a suggestion, users can naturally deepen the topic with follow-up questions such as, “What’s the parking situation there?” or “Which dishes are popular?“
- One of the most important innovations is the ability to report traffic incidents solely by voice. This feature promises to enhance driving safety and convenience by eliminating the need to tap the screen to report accidents or road conditions while driving.
We expect this innovation to roll out to Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.
2. More Detailed Directions and Turn Guidance
Current Maps guidance could make it difficult to estimate distances, especially on fast-moving roads like highways, with phrases like “Turn right in 150 meters.” Gemini aims to solve this by combining local information and visuals.
- Gemini will cross-reference Street View images and 250 million location data points to include local landmarks in directions.
- Maps can now provide more concrete and understandable directions, such as highlighting a restaurant on the map and saying, “Turn right after Thai Siam Restaurant.”
While this feature looks highly useful if it matches the demos, it will initially be available only in the US on Android and iOS.
This feature is designed for your short, routine daily drives rather than long journeys. You will receive advance notification of road disruptions even when you are not actively using Maps for navigation.
- Google states that for Android users, it will proactively alert you to unexpected traffic jams or road closures on your usual route, even when the application is not in navigation mode. This small but valuable “quality-of-life” upgrade is currently launching only on Android devices in the US.
4. Gemini-Powered Google Lens Integrated into Maps
Google wants Maps not only to guide the way but also to be a “knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat.” To this end, a Gemini-powered Lens feature is being integrated into the application.
- By tapping the new camera icon in the app’s search bar and pointing your phone at nearby places (restaurants, shops, cafes), Maps will detect them and add an information pin.
- You can instantly get detailed information about a pinned location by asking questions like, “Where is this place and why is it so popular?” or “What’s the atmosphere like inside?“
This innovation will roll out to Android and iOS devices later this month and could be a powerful tool for quickly gaining local knowledge while traveling.
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