Chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are great for making travel plans. Just type your prompt with detailed instructions, and the AI will offer all the information you need about your trip, including prices, opening times, and directions on how to get there. Once you actually arrive, the chatbot can’t get you around with turn-by-turn navigation. You’ll have to switch to a separate app, like Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze, to reach the attraction the AI told you about. You’ll have to jump back and forth between the chatbot and navigation app if you still have questions for the AI. But what if an app like Google Maps featured built-in conversational capabilities similar to Gemini?
According to Android Authority’s findings, Google is already developing an improved version of Ask Maps that will turn chatting with Google Maps into a Gemini-like experience. Google already lets you ask Google Maps questions in conversational language, like with a chatbot, but the purpose of the existing functionality is to help you find attractions nearby. The expanded Ask Maps features that Android Authority found in beta version 25.41.03.815390258 of Google Maps for Android come with a significant user interface change that will make Google Maps more similar to Gemini.
How the new Ask Maps feature will work
Google has not announced the feature, and there’s no telling if or when Ask Maps will receive the upgrades found in the beta version, but Android Authority has been able to get it up and running. Google wants to add the Ask Maps chip to the homepage of Google Maps, under the search bar, in front of the restaurants chip. Tap on the button, and you’ll bring up a bottom sheet that looks like the Gemini app.
The chatbot interface will greet you by name and suggest questions above the prompt composer. You can type or speak to interact with the AI. The screenshots Android Authority shared show that Google Maps will display the location you mention in the Ask Maps screen while you’re chatting with the AI. For example, a question about the tallest mountain in Japan loaded Mount Fuji on the map behind the Ask Maps sheet as the AI provided an answer.
However, the feature is clearly still in testing. The AI repeated its answers for some questions. A different bug had Google Maps display different locations on the map than the ones in the Ask Maps answer for a simple “cool things to do in the area” prompt. Still, turning the Ask Maps into a chatbot experience might improve the navigation experience in those instances where you want more information about an interest point without leaving Google Maps. Separately, recent Google Maps code discoveries showed that Google is looking to improve navigation for walking and public transit. Also, Google will make Street View experiences in Google Maps easier to manage via a new Aerial View mode.
