What was the integration of Gemini into the navigation mode of Google Maps It was announced last November Now appearing more widely in apps for Android and iOS, giving you access to upgraded AI while you’re on the road.
That means when you say “Hey Google,” Gemini will pop up instead of Google Assistant, and you’ll get a more advanced and conversational experience. In addition to all the usual navigation and map search jobs, Gemini can answer questions in Google Maps, search for information, and do many other things it can do in its own dedicated app.
As soon as I saw that my app had been updated, I took it out for a test drive using the Android app and Android Auto, to see if the Gemini could be trusted as a travel companion.
Gemini helps you get from A to B
Gemini will see the map options for you.
Credit: Lifehacker
Geminis are usually helpful and reliable when it comes to getting from one place to another. Every request I made to the AI to find and navigate to places was done promptly and correctly, and it’s possible to easily adjust destinations or add additional stops using your voice.
Commands like “what time will I get there,” “what’s the traffic like on the route,” and “what’s my next turn” all work well. You can ask about the weather where you are going or get details of reviews and ratings of the place you are visiting. It was easier to change my mind and switch to a different destination using voice commands than tapping on the Android Auto screen.
The biggest problem I had was getting back to the main navigation view after exploring stop-off options along the way—the Gemini didn’t understand “return to navigation view” (even though it said it did) and I ended up having to say “clear search results from screen” to get back to turn-by-turn directions.
I had to speak very loudly and clearly to be understood properly, and Gemini often made some mistakes in interpreting the names of the places I was looking at. However, he was smart enough to understand the context: when I was going to church, for example, I only had to use his full name the first time, and then I could only refer to him as “the church”.
The AI is limited by the data it has—Gemini said it didn’t have enough information available when I requested a more scenic route to my destination—but overall it’s helpful and proactive. I was often asked if there was anything else I wanted (like how the actual Gemini app works), and was regularly told to enjoy my drive.
What do you think so far?
Gemini can help with more than just directions
You’ll still need a strong cell connection to access the web.
Credit: Lifehacker
You get the full Gemini experience in Google Maps and Android Auto, so you can ask, really, what you want. The AI gave me relevant and accurate information about TV shows, music and stories in the news, though it wasn’t completely immune to the odd hallucination: it told me the Galaxy S26 was a “significant departure” from the Galaxy S25 that came before it (it wasn’t).
I was able to ask about road regulations and road signs, and Gemini was able to provide the right information while regularly reminding me to focus on my driving. Google says The experience is like “having a knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat” and it’s not far off—though sometimes the conversation gets a little stuck.
Gemini can play music, as well as search for songs, artists and playlists in apps like YouTube Music and Spotify. It worked mostly without a hitch, though on one occasion I had to ask twice to turn the music off, and the AI only got halfway through when I asked it to switch to Pocket Casts (the app showed up, but the audio didn’t play).
Being able to tap on emails, calendar appointments and incoming messages while walking is another really useful Gemini feature, and I was able to get details of incoming texts and respond to them without having to look at the road – if you need to tell people where you are or when you’ll be arriving.
A handful of bugs and missteps aside, I was impressed with Gemini in Google Maps: it really does look as smart as Google says it is. The Google-Assistant-to-Gemini switchover may have taken a while, but now that it’s here, I found it to be a beautiful and useful experience.
