Google Maps gets Gemini for conversational navigation & traffic reporting on Android, iOS

In Google Maps, Gemini already exists in place listings, and it’s now coming to the navigation experience on Android and iOS. Google equates this “hands-free, conversational driving experience” to having a “knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat who can confidently help you get where you’re going.”

Google Maps rolling out landmark-based navigation, Gemini-powered Lens

Gemini is replacing Google Assistant in Google Maps navigation. On Android and iOS, you’ll see the Gemini spark in the top-right corner. You can tap that or use the “Hey Google” hotword to ask questions about your trip, like if there are any nearby restaurants, what the popular dishes are, and whether parking is available. You can also ask for EV chargers along your route.

This navigation feature makes use of Gemini’s conversational and summarization capabilities to sift through the Google Maps corpus of 250 million businesses (with ratings, reviews, photos, and other info) and other reliable web sources.

You can use Gemini in Google Maps to conversationally report traffic disruptions: “I see an accident,” “Looks like there’s flooding ahead” or “Watch out for that slowdown.” Waze recently gained a similar Conversational Reporting capability.

On the assistive front, you can access the full Gemini experience and connect apps to add appointments to your calendar, summarize emails, or share your ETA (on Android). You can also have Gemini “catch [you] up on last night’s game or news.” For example:

• You can get help with multi-step tasks, like: “Is there a budget-friendly restaurant with vegan options along my route, something within a couple miles? … What’s parking like there?”
• Followed by, “OK, let’s go there.”
• You can even ask “Oh, by the way, can you also add a calendar event for soccer practice tomorrow for 5 p.m.?”

Besides the spoken response, results appear in a bottom sheet that has listing details and other buttons that you can tap, like “Add stop” or “Call.”

Navigation with Gemini is rolling out to the Google Maps app on Android and iOS in the “coming weeks.” It will be offered “everywhere Gemini is available.” Android Auto support is “on the way” via the upcoming Gemini experience. Google is investigating how much of this experience will be possible in CarPlay.

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