- Google Maps just got two big upgrades, launching today in the US
- ‘Ask Maps’ is a conversational assistant that answers very specific questions
- Google also gives drivers the app’s “biggest update in over a decade”
The Google Maps vs. Waze debate continues to rage, but Maps just got two huge upgrades that could help extend its lead as the world’s best all-around navigation app.
The first, called ‘Ask Maps’, is the Gemini-powered, conversational experience for travelers that has felt inevitable for a few years. Google is also calling its other new feature, called ‘Immersive Navigation’, its “biggest navigation upgrade in over a decade”.
For pedestrians and travelers, the most exciting new feature is ‘Ask Map’. This new tab sits very prominently below the app’s search bar and is like a Maps-specific version of Gemini that can answer very detailed travel questions.
The article continues below
Some examples of questions Google gave in a demo included “My phone is dying – where can I charge it without having to wait in a long line for coffee?” and “Is there a public tennis court with lights on that I can play on tonight?” In other words, this is more than just a rehash of existing Google Maps tabs and information — it could potentially prove very useful if it works as well as it did in the demos.
Google says ‘Ask Maps’ can also create complete travel plans based on its information from over 300 million locations and 500 million contributors. For example, you could say “I’m on my way to the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Coral Dunes – any recommended stops along the way?”
One detail that may prove controversial to some is that your ‘Ask Maps’ results are personalized. They will be based on places you have searched for or also saved in Google Maps.
But Google was keen to head off any privacy concerns, with Miriam Daniel, VP & GM of Google Maps, stating in a briefing that “it doesn’t link to any of the other apps or any of your other data”. ‘Ask Maps’ is now rolling out in the US and India on Android and iOS, with desktop coming soon – Google won’t comment on a global rollout.
A ‘complete transformation’ of Maps navigation
If you’re a driver who regularly uses Google Maps to get around cities, then the new ‘Immersive Navigation’ mode might be more up your street.
A cross between Immersive View and traditional Google Maps navigation, the visual side of the update brings a new 3D view that adds transparent buildings and overpasses to give you more context, along with pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and more. Google says this view was pretrained using Gemini and real-world information from Street View and aerial photos.
‘Immersive navigation’ looks particularly useful for city driving, but there are also functional changes. Google says ‘smart zoom’ will help you plan for tricky junctions, while voice navigation will apparently be more natural.
Google Maps will also give you more information about the trade-off of alternative routes, and you will also be able to preview your destination with Street View images. It’s another cross-Google collaboration that feels like it could have happened years ago.
The bad news for anyone living outside the US is that ‘Immersive Navigation’ isn’t rolling out until today in the States. It also won’t be coming to everyone initially, with Google promising that it “will expand over the coming months to eligible iOS and Android devices,” CarPlay, Android Auto, and cars with Google built-in.
Analysis: Impressive upgrades, but not for everyone
Both of these Google Maps upgrades look very useful on paper – and rivals like Apple Maps may struggle to compete with its combination of new AI smarts and the wealth of information available in e.g. “Ask Maps”.
However, there are still concerns that could see some stick to alternative apps. First, we don’t yet know how well ‘Ask Maps’ works in the real world. But some will also raise issues of trust and privacy.
When asked whether ‘Ask Maps’ results might one day include ads or paid placements, Google didn’t rule it out. “I can’t really speculate on where we’re going long-term, although right now we’re really focused on just providing the best possible experience in ‘Ask Maps,’ so monetization and payment don’t affect where things appear in that experience,” said Andrew Duchi (Product Director, Google Maps).
The personalization aspect of ‘Ask Maps’ could also put off some users. Google said it doesn’t use information from other apps like Gmail to refine its results. “It’s mostly focused on searches you might have done in Maps in the past or on searches specific to places you might be interested in. It focuses on things you’ve saved in Maps or as a list,” said Miriam Daniel (VP & GM of Google Maps).
It will be a fair trade-off for many, but others might still prefer the more traditional approach to Apple Maps – and many drivers still prefer the Google-owned Waze over Google Maps. Speaking of which, Google added that its new route-finding features use a combination of Maps and Waze community data.
“Behind the scenes, just as Gemini powers many of our capabilities, Waze and Google Maps have a shared driver community to bring real-time information to the map. So the two work together in terms of the data we serve,” added Rosa Wu (Product Director, Google Maps).
Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, we’ll be testing the two major Google Maps upgrades soon to give you our first impressions.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
