Gemini just became your new Google Maps buddy

We’ve already seen mapping features make their way into ChatGPT and Gemini apps, but big mapping apps haven’t made much use of AI – until now, anyway.

Google just announced Ask Maps, a new “conversational experience” for Google Maps that puts Gemini front and center, allowing you to chat with the Maps app about where you want to go and what you want to do.

Rolling out today on iOS and Android for users in the US and India (the update hasn’t arrived on my iPhone yet), Ask Maps will let you ask “complex, real-world questions” that previous versions of Google Maps couldn’t handle, letting you ask Gemini about destinations with various conditions.

For example (as Google notes), you can ask questions like “My phone is dying, where can I charge it without having to wait in line for coffee?” » With the help of Google’s Gemini models, Ask Maps could not only tell you which cafes are nearby, but also query its data on which stores have the longest waits and filter the results, saving you the hassle of a multi-step search.

You can also ask the revamped Google Maps things like: “Plan my February road trip between the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Glen and Coral Dunes – any recommended stops along the way?” Gemini will then do its job, plotting a route and giving you a daily itinerary with waypoints, details of your stops and advice on what you’ll need to bring and what tolls you’ll need to pay.

Ask Maps will also leverage your search history and collection of saved places, meaning it can make suggestions based on restaurants or other places you’ve previously searched for. This could be useful in terms of personalization, or annoying if Gemini insists on recommending previously visited places that it thinks you’ll like.

In addition to Ask Maps, Google also offers an “Immersive Navigation” mode that displays a 3D view of buildings, overpasses and terrain when you are in navigation mode. The 3D View (which is only available in the US for now) gets help from Gemini, which will “analyze new real-world images” collected from Street View and aerial photos to improve details like landmarks and medians.

Google Maps Driving View will also offer a “broader view” of your route, Google promises, with “smart zooms” and transparent buildings designed to help you better visualize upcoming turns and lane changes.

Maps will also show you alternative routes that could save you time or help you avoid disruptions such as car accidents or road construction, while destination overviews should help you spot nearby venue entrances and parking.

This isn’t the first time Gemini has made its way to Google Maps. In January, Google added the ability to ask Gemini for help when navigating in walking and cycling modes.