Google Maps already had the Google Assistant for voice commands, but Gemini can handle nuanced questions and give you directions that are more helpful than ‘turn left in 500 feet.’
Google Maps is getting a Gemini upgrade, which promises to let users chat with the app about driving directions but also anything else they want to know, including the news.
Google will also provide landmark-based driving directions to make it easier to know when to turn, and proactive alerts about upcoming traffic.
The chat additions are a subtle change since the existing Google Assistant can already pull up a list of nearby restaurants, for example. However, the company claims that Gemini can handle more nuanced questions, such as «what are the most popular dishes?» at those restaurants and whether there’s outdoor seating.
“It can tell you about the parking, it can tell you what a place is like, it can answer your questions in a much more conversational experience,” Amanda Leicht Moore, a product director for Google Maps, said during a press briefing.
