The latest software update from Google officially expands the capabilities of its Google Maps app by upgrading the built-in assistant. The new version allows the navigation tool to handle multi-step tasks that used to require opening several completely separate apps. Users can now simply tell the app to order a specific meal for pickup along a route or ask it to pull up live transit delays for their daily commute.
The updated assistant places your food orders while you drive
The new features run on the Gemini artificial intelligence model. This powers a tool called Ask Maps, which can now listen to a voice command like ordering a spicy seafood dish for pickup on your way home. It searches for open restaurants on your current route, lets you choose a spot, and adds the food to a shopping cart for review.
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Food ordering works immediately with partners like Square and Toast, while Uber Eats integration will arrive soon. The tool also helps out when you travel. You can ask the app to check hotel availability, compare room prices, and suggest local events or activities to check out near your stay.
The app tracks your train delays and remembers your schedule
For those who rely on public transportation, a new transit widget in Ask Maps delivers up-to-the-minute delay information. This covers buses, trains, subways, and ferries. You can also opt into a new Personal Intelligence feature. When activated, this connects the app to your Gmail account so it can factor your upcoming plans into its suggestions without needing manual input.
It will remember past conversations to provide better context for future requests. You can even submit insider tips through conversational edits, and the app will share that knowledge with the broader community.
The live transit widget and memory features are rolling out to over 150 countries right now. Food ordering and hotel discovery are starting in the United States before expanding elsewhere. By turning Maps into an active assistant rather than just a passive directory, the company is changing how we handle our daily chores.
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