Google announced updates for some of its most popular apps on Thursday, including Waze, Google Maps and Google Earth. Needless to say, the updates include many new Gemini AI integrations. Waze users will soon be able to report road incidents assisted by AI by simply speaking to the app. Gemini AI will process the information and add the correct incident type into the app.

If you use Google Maps More than Waze, you will also soon notice several new features in the app. Google improved navigation experience to let you manage your route before you start driving. Additionally, Google Maps’ improved navigation will help you avoid missing your exit and merge using the correct lane.

There are also many new Gemini AI integrations in Google Maps, as the chatbot can now help you summarize reviews of nearby places and discover new attractions with a chat-like experience.

Finally, Google also makes Google Maps data available to third-party applications, including other AI applications that can use location data to better answer questions.

New features coming to Google Maps

Google Maps will now show you new places in immersive views, including college campuses. In a blog post, Google said that Immersive View is also getting new route details. You’ll get parking information and details on more complex sections of the ride ahead.

Immersive View will also expand to 150 additional cities, including Brussels, Kyoto and Frankfurt. The features will be available on Android and iPhone this week.

Support for more Gemini AI features in Google Maps is also available this week. Gemini can help you find interesting places around you and summarize Google Maps attraction reviews. The feature will initially be available in the US, with Android and iPhone getting it this week. It will be expanded to Google Search in the future.

The best Google Maps update announced by Google on Thursday concerns driving experiences.

Google is making big changes to the navigation functionality of Google Maps. First, you can explore your route before hitting the road. The app will allow you to add stops, including “major landmarks, attractions, scenic spots, and dining options.”

During the ride, Google Maps will offer enhanced navigation features to show you which lanes you need to take to merge correctly.

Simply follow the blue line in the lane markers to stay on track. It will also highlight pedestrian crossings and road signs on the map.

Google Maps will also improve the arrival experience. It will highlight the building and entrance and show nearby parking. Then it’ll give you walking directions from where you parked your car to the entrance, with Street View and AR support to help you get around.

Finally, Google Maps will allow you to report additional incidents, such as bad weather. You will be able to mark flooded areas as well as roads not cleared of snow or with low visibility.

Most of these Google Maps driving features will be rolling out globally this week to Android and iPhone. You’ll have to wait for the improved navigation until November, when it begins rolling out to 30 metro areas. Google will expand it to more markets in the future.

Google Earth Updates

As someone who uses Google Maps frequently, I’m happy to see Google making Google Maps data available on other AI platforms, not just Gemini. Some of the new features in Google Maps will also impact Google Earth.

Grounding with Google Maps is a feature that will allow developers to add “rich places data” from Google Maps to their own AI applications and allow the AI ​​to extract information when prompted. The result should be apps with more Google Maps data.

Imagine you are a developer for a property rental website. Using your website’s chatbot, a customer could ask, “What fitness options are near this apartment?” » Using Grounding with Google Maps, you will be able to view the latest information about the area, including reviews and opening hours of nearby gyms, in addition to the opening time or time of the venue , which will allow the customer to easily make an informed decision. Grounding with Google Maps launches today as an experimental feature.

Google also announced that Rivian will begin using Google’s Gemini capabilities in the Places API to display summaries of restaurants, stores and supermarkets on their infotainment screens.

Finally, Google is integrating Gemini AI with Google Earth so that city planners can better analyze specific data regarding a certain area of ​​interest faster than before. Here is the example proposed by Google for this use case:

Imagine a transportation planner wants to install new electric vehicle (EV) chargers in their city. All they have to do is ask, “Can you map the five zip codes with the fewest electric vehicle chargers relative to the size of their geographic area?” » Google Earth uses multi-step reasoning to determine the five zip codes with the fewest electric vehicle charging stations, then generates a useful custom visualization. You can also take this query a step further and ask if there are hotels and shopping malls that don’t have electric vehicle chargers within a certain distance.

This might not be something regular users of Waze, Google Maps, and Google Earth would consider, but it might have some practical applications you’ll notice. In the example above, city planners could install more electric vehicle chargers in underserved locations.