- Google is rolling out new Gemini-powered features for Google Maps
- These include more powerful voice controls and improved directions
- Google Maps will also get a special Gemini-powered version of Lens
Google is showing the aging Google Assistant the door across most of its apps and services in favor of Gemini – and the latest one to get an AI-powered upgrade is Google Maps.
The popular navigation app is in the process of getting a Gemini brain transplant, and Google has promised in a new blog post that this will produce four new Google Maps soon that are largely aimed at drivers.
While some of these sound promising, others may well stray into the ‘distracting’ category, depending on how much you like talking to your phone while at the wheel. For example, Google says you’ll be able to chat to Gemini to “catch up on last night’s game or news” within Google Maps.
Still, in the main, these Gemini upgrades sound like a step forward from Google Assistant for Google Maps – here are all the main upgrades and when they’re landing on Android and iOS.
1. Gemini voice assistance
- When is it rolling out? In the “coming weeks” on Android and iOS everywhere Gemini is available, with Android Auto on the way.
While today’s Google Assistant in Google Maps is helpful, it very much feels like an AI assistant from a previous era – particularly with its inability to handle multi-step questions.
Google says the Gemini upgrade coming to Google Maps will change this. In the example above, the narrator asks “is there a budget-friendly restaurant with vegan options along my route, something within a couple miles”?
After getting a recommendation, the user is then able to ask natural language follow-ups like “what’s the parking like there” and “what dishes are popular there”? You can also ask it to add unrelated events to your Google Calendar, if you’ve connected it to Gemini. We’ll have to see how smoothly this all works in practice.
Arguably the most useful improvement here, though, is the ability to report traffic incidents using your voice. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to prod my phone screen to report or confirm accidents in Google Maps while driving, so hopefully this feature will reduce that annoyance.
- Early verdict: Reporting incidents with your voice sounds useful, but talking to Google Maps about local recommendations will depend how much you already trust the app’s local info.
2. More specific directions and turning guidance
- When it is rolling out? Right now on Android and iOS in the US, with no date for other regions yet.
This one sounds useful, in theory. Google has acknowledged that existing Maps guidance like “turn right in 500 feet” isn’t that helpful when that distance is difficult to gauge as you’re flying down a highway.
To help, Google says Gemini will cross-reference Street View images from the local area with the latest Google Maps information on 250 million places to help it include local landmarks in its directions.
For example, it might say “turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant”, with the restaurant highlighted on the map. That all sounds very helpful in theory, though it’s currently only rolling out in the US – and that need for very specific, local knowledge may slow down its global release.
- Early verdict: A helpful upgrade if it matches the demos, but it remains to be seen how quickly the rollout will be outside the US.
3. Traffic warnings outside navigation
- When is this rolling out? Rolling out now in the US on Android, no date for iOS or other regions.
This feature is designed more for those shorter, daily trips you take without needing Google Maps navigation, rather than the longer-distance ones where you already have the app running.
If you’re on Android, Google says Maps will be able to “proactively notify you of disruptions on the road ahead”, even when you’re not using the app to navigate. That could be handy if there’s, say, an unexpected traffic jam on your usual route or a burst water main you’d like to swerve.
It isn’t a huge upgrade, but if it saves you half an hour of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, it’ll be a feature that’s worth turning on.
- Early verdict: A small quality-of-life upgrade for regular Maps users, but it’s only on Android in the US for now
4. A Gemini-powered Google Lens inside Maps
- When is it rolling out? Later this month on Android and iOS, with no date for other regions.
Google clearly doesn’t just want Google Maps to be the “knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat”, as it describes it. Thanks to a new Gemini-powered Lens feature inside the app, it should also be able to help with recommendations when you reach your destination.
Tap the new camera icon in the app’s search bar and you’ll be able to hold up your phone (just like in Lens) to identify any restaurants, cafes, shops or landmarks in your view. For any that have a pin icon, Google says you’ll then be able to talk to Maps and ask it questions like “What is this place and why is it popular?“ or “What’s the vibe inside?”
Again, this is all very much a best-case scenario – we’ll have to see how well it works in the real-world. But in theory, the combo of Google Maps and Gemini here could be a powerful one for travel or quick info on local restaurants. Let’s hope it gets a wider rollout outside the US soon.
- Early verdict: The benefit of this feature will depend on how much you like the use Google Lens – but the potential for smart glasses is also clear.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
