Nov 01, 2024 12:05:00

Google Maps adds useful features such as 'spot suggestions with AI,' 'lane display,' and 'flooding report'

Google has announced an update to Google Maps on October 31, 2024. This update adds a new feature that uses the multimodal AI Gemini to suggest destinations, a feature that suggests detours on the way to your destination, a lane display feature while driving, and a road traffic status report feature.

Google Maps updates: Gemini arrives, Immersive View expands and more

https://blog.google/products/maps/gemini-google-maps-navigation-updates/

One of the new features added to Google Maps is the Gemini Destination Suggestion feature. With this feature, you can simply type in something like 'places to hang out with friends at night' in the Google Maps search field, and Gemini will recommend restaurants, live music venues, and more.

Gemini also has a feature that summarizes reviews submitted by users and displays them to users. If you want to know more details about a restaurant, such as 'Does it have outdoor seating?' or 'Is the atmosphere quiet?', you can simply ask the map app and get the answer.

'These features are based on trusted data and community reports from nearly 250 million places around the world, and are made possible thanks to Gemini's powerful inference and summarization capabilities,' Google said in a statement.

This feature will be rolled out in the United States after October 31, 2024. Google also reported that it will add a similar feature to Google Search in the coming months.

In addition, after setting your destination, you can tap the 'add stops' button to automatically display popular landmarks, attractions, scenic spots, restaurants, and other stops along the way.

Also, a new feature has been added that displays 'which lane you should be in' during route guidance.

When driving, unexpected situations such as 'roads are flooded,' 'snow has not been removed,' 'low visibility due to fog' and so on are inevitable. Google Maps now allows you to report 'flooded,' 'low visibility,' and 'unpaved' roads.

According to Google, these features will be rolled out to the Google Maps app in stages, with the lane display feature set to roll out in more than 30 metropolitan areas from November 2024 onwards.

In addition, '

Immersive View ,' which combines Street View images and aerial photographs to digitally display the world, will be expanded to 150 cities around the world, including Kyoto, Brussels, and Frankfurt. In addition, a function has been added to route guidance using immersive view that highlights complex turns and other obstacles. These functions are scheduled to be rolled out sequentially from October 31, 2024.