Gemini just became your new Google Maps buddy

We’ve already seen mapping functionality make its way into the ChatGPT and Gemini apps, but the big mapping apps haven’t had much use for AI–until now, anyway.

Google has 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 U.S. and India (the update hasn’t made its way to my iPhone quite yet), Ask Maps will let you ask “complex, real-world questions” that prior versions of Google Maps couldn’t handle, allowing you to query Gemini about destinations with various conditions attached.

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

You can also ask the revamped Google Maps things like, “Plan out my February road trip between the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Glen, and Coral Dunes – any recommended stops along the way?” Gemini will then do its thing, plotting out a course and giving you a day-by-day itinerary with waypoints, details about your stops, and tips about what you’ll need to bring and what tolls you’ll need to pay.

Ask Maps will also tap into your search history and collection of saved places, meaning it may make suggestions based on restaurants or other locales you’ve previously searched for. This could be a handy thing in terms of personalization, or annoying if Gemini gets pushy about recommending previously visited places it thinks you’ll like. 

Aside from Ask Maps, Google is also serving up a “Immersive Navigation” mode that renders a 3D view of buildings, overpasses, and terrain when you’re in navigation mode. The 3D view (which is only coming to the U.S. for now) is getting an assist from Gemini, which will “analyze fresh, real world imagery” gathered from Street View and aerial photos to boost such details as landmarks and medians.

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

Maps will also clue you in to alternate routes that might save time or help you avoid disruptions like car crashes or road construction, while destination previews are slated to help you spot venue entrances and nearby parking.

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