GoKawiilTL;DR Google Maps is picking up new Immersive Navigation and Ask Maps tools.
Immersive Navigation is 3D, responsive view that guides you with precision to your destination.
Ask Maps taps into Gemini to offer tips about where to visit based on your preferences and requests.
Which Google app would you fight the hardest to keep, if you could only still keep using one? We’d probably have quite a few on our short list, but one of the easiest to make the case for has got to be Google Maps, which has just utterly transformed the way many of us find our way around. While Google’s regularly making Maps even better, today we’re getting some of the biggest news about Maps upgrades in a while, with the introduction of not just the Gemini-powered Ask Maps tool, but also a new Immersive Navigation experience.
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We’d forgive you for feeling increasingly burnt out on “now with more AI” announcements, so let’s get started with Immersive Navigation. Google’s going back to the drawing board with how Maps communicates your route to you, and has developed a rich, intuitive 3D view that combines buildings, terrain, and road details in a holistic way to make sure you always know where you are and where you’re going next.
That view changes and adapts to your needs, automatically zooming in and out to focus on where you need to be paying attention. Under the hood, these upgrades actually do tap into Gemini (although not in a way you might immediately notice), analyzing Street View imagery in order to develop a more complete understanding of locations.
In addition to the visual overhaul, you can also look forward to more natural-sounding voice directions, like “skip this turn here and make the next one.”
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