Google has announced major updates to its Maps app including a new Gemini powered conversational feature called Ask Maps and an enhanced Immersive Navigation experience. Reports Techcrunch.com.
The tech giant described the Immersive Navigation launch as the biggest update to Maps in over a decade. The Ask Maps tool allows users to ask complex questions in natural language such as finding a place to charge a dying phone without waiting in long lines or locating a public tennis court with lights for evening play.
Users can also use Ask Maps to plan trips by requesting recommended stops along routes like visits to the Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend and Coral Dunes. The feature personalizes suggestions based on a user's past searches saved places and preferences such as favoring vegan restaurants.
Ask Maps is now available in the United States and India on both Android and iOS devices with desktop support coming soon.
The Immersive Navigation update introduces a detailed 3D view showing buildings overpasses and terrain along with highlighted road elements like lanes crosswalks traffic lights and stop signs. It offers smart zooms transparent buildings and more natural voice guidance to help drivers prepare for turns and lane changes.
Maps will now explain trade offs between alternate routes and alert users to real time issues such as construction or crashes using data from Google Maps and Waze communities. Before starting a trip users can preview destinations with Street View and get parking recommendations.
These changes aim to remove guesswork from driving by providing timely real world information and intuitive guidance according to Google Maps vice president Miriam Daniel.
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