Desk: Now, Google Maps won’t just show you directions. Google Maps, which has been providing directions for the past two decades, will now be able to perform many other functions as well. Indeed, Google feels that navigation alone is no longer enough. Therefore, the company has begun to equip it with more capabilities. Now, it will be able to plan your entire day and make decisions. In this regard, Google has rolled out a new update for Maps, which will make the platform even more useful for users. Let’s find out what features are included in the new update.
Google is expanding Ask Maps, launched a few months ago. Now, it has new agentic tools that will allow you to order food and search for hotels right from Google Maps. These agentic tools will also provide you with complete information about local events, including tickets. Along with these agentic tools, Google has also introduced personal intelligence to Maps, which will provide custom recommendations based on information from your Gmail and Google Calendar. However, you’ll need to link your Gmail and calendar to this service. This feature can be especially useful if you’ve planned a trip and marked the dates on your calendar. Using this information, Google Maps will automatically display information about events and hotels happening near your destination during that time.
Google Maps will now not only locate restaurants and hotels for you, but can also order food. All you need to do is tell Maps what you’re craving. It will then automatically select the restaurant and order the food. As you drive, Maps’ AI agent will add various options to your cart. However, the payment option remains with you. Similarly, travel planning will now become much easier. You won’t have to visit multiple websites to search for hotels. All you need to do is tell Google Maps what kind of hotel you’d like to stay in. It will then compare all the options and prices and present your booking options.
As we mentioned, Google has added personal intelligence along with agentic tools in the new update. This allows Maps to gain context about what you’re looking to do. Once granted, it will draw on references from Gmail and Google Calendar to make recommendations. For example, let’s say you have a conference invitation in your Gmail inbox. Using personal intelligence, Google Maps will use this information to suggest hotels near the conference venue without requiring you to provide any additional details.
Even if you’re not traveling and are bored at home, Google Maps has your entertainment in mind. Now, you can use Ask Maps to find information about comedy shows, concerts, and other live events nearby. Ask Maps will provide all the information, as well as a link to purchase tickets. This shows that Google is no longer limiting Maps to travel navigation, but is also trying to integrate it into users’ daily lives. These upgrades will be rolled out first in the US, and will be rolled out to other markets over time.