New AI Features in Google Maps: How Does Ask Maps Work with Gemini?

Google Maps continues to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities. Google Gemini was first integrated into Maps in November 2025, and the company is now further enhancing these capabilities with the new Ask Maps feature. This tool allows users to ask questions about any place directly within the map, with Gemini responding inside the app through a conversational interface. According to Google, the system can now answer complex real-world questions that traditional maps were previously unable to handle. For example, users can ask where to charge their phone or find a public tennis court with lighting simply by tapping the Ask Maps button and entering their question.

Gemini analyzes data from more than 300 million places, including reviews from the 500-million-strong Maps community. The results are personalized based on users’ previous searches and saved locations, ensuring more relevant recommendations. With Ask Maps, users can also book restaurant reservations, save places to lists, and share them with friends. In addition, they can get directions and use navigation features directly from the same interface.

Another major update for Google Maps is Immersive Navigation, which Google describes as one of the platform’s biggest upgrades in over a decade. The feature introduces redesigned visuals and more intuitive navigation guidance. The map now includes a 3D view that displays buildings, overpasses, and surrounding terrain. It can also highlight lanes, crosswalks, traffic lights, and stop signs to help drivers better understand their route.

Google says this enhanced spatial understanding of routes is powered by Gemini models. These models analyze up-to-date real-world imagery from Google Street View and aerial photos to provide a more accurate visual representation of the environment along the route.

Immersive Navigation also provides a broader view of the journey. Smart zooming and transparent building visuals help users see further ahead, while voice guidance is designed to sound more natural. The system can also inform users about alternative routes, such as a longer route with less traffic or a faster route that may include tolls.

In addition, Maps can alert users about real-time disruptions along their journey. Before starting a trip, users can preview their destination and surroundings through Street View and receive recommendations for parking. As they approach their destination, the app highlights the building entrance, nearby parking areas, and the correct side of the street to stop.

Currently, Ask Maps is rolling out in the United States and India on Android and iOS, with no official timeline yet for other regions. Immersive Navigation is also launching in the U.S., and its availability will expand in the coming months to compatible iOS and Android devices, as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and vehicles with Google built-in.