New Navigation Features
Returning home from the airport on Monday evening, Google Maps gave me a useful hint. It was barely noticeable, but the popular navigation app told me to turn left after the gas station.
This feature was quietly implemented recently and opens the era of navigation by landmarks. As Google noted, we’ve all heard “turn right in 500 feet,” but such distances are hard to estimate. This means you might be looking at your smartphone instead of seeing where you need to turn.
Improvements Through Landmarks
The company is now solving this problem by using landmarks that stand out along your route. These include gas stations, restaurants, and notable buildings that should be easy to recognize while driving.
The new feature works based on Gemini, which analyzes information about 250 million places and then matches it with Street View images to “select the most useful landmarks visible from the street.” This means you can focus on driving as you’ll be told something like “turn right after the Thai Siam restaurant.”
Expanded Gemini Capabilities
Although landmark navigation is a useful additional feature, it’s just the tip of the iceberg as Google Maps integrates Gemini to make navigation simpler and more conversational. As the company explained at a media briefing yesterday, users will be able to say “Hey, Google” and ask anything.
This can range from “Is there a budget restaurant with vegan options on my route, something within a few miles?” to “What’s the parking situation at my destination?” In response to the latter, Gemini can find the nearest parking lots and route you to one of them.
Users aren’t limited to navigation-related questions, as you can ask how your favorite team played last night or add events to your calendar by voice. Gemini can also find information about restaurants and tell you about their most popular dishes.
Google representatives described this technology as like having a “local expert” in the passenger seat, as it combines Gemini with Maps information as well as data from “reliable” web sources. The tech giant also assured that users shouldn’t worry about AI hallucinations.
Gemini will also help make Google Maps better for everyone, as users will be able to more easily report traffic problems. For example, drivers will be able to say “I see an accident” or “There’s a slowdown here.”
Gemini In Navigation will appear in Google Maps for Android and iOS in the coming weeks, while the launch for Android Auto is “on the way.”
Proactive Traffic Notifications
Another interesting additional feature is proactive driving notifications. If you’re just driving around the city, there’s a chance you’re not using Google Maps for navigation since you already know where you’re going.
While this typically leaves drivers unaware, an update currently being rolled out will warn you about problems even when you’re not using navigation. If there’s a traffic jam or accident ahead, a notification will appear and alert you.
Users can then open the notification to learn more about the incident and get an approximate estimate of how much delay it will cause. Thanks to the warning, drivers can look for an alternative route to avoid the traffic jam and unexpected delay.
Gemini-Based Lens
After you exit your vehicle, you can still use Gemini and Google Maps to learn about your surroundings. By clicking the camera icon in the search bar, you’ll be able to identify businesses and famous landmarks and ask questions about them.
Gemini can tell you why a restaurant is popular, including what they specialize in. Users can also ask “What’s the atmosphere like inside?” to get a summarized answer that explains what the vibe is like there.
Lens Built With Gemini will begin rolling out this month in the United States.
Although the updates are quite diverse, they’re designed to make Google Maps smarter and more powerful. Users will also find a more conversational and natural language experience that’s designed to feel like you’re talking to a friend.
These innovations demonstrate how artificial intelligence is gradually becoming an integral part of everyday technologies, transforming ordinary applications into intelligent assistants. The integration of Gemini into Google Maps not only improves navigation accuracy but also makes interaction with technology more intuitive and contextual, which can significantly reduce the cognitive load on drivers while operating a vehicle.