Google Maps could be turning into a chatbot soon

Google appears to have its eyes set on tighter-knit integration between its flagship AI chatbot, Gemini, and its premier navigation service, Maps. In a new APK app teardown of Google Maps beta version 25.41.03.815390258, the folks over at Android Authority have uncovered a still-in-progress upgrade to the existing Ask Maps feature it first introduced last year.

Ask Maps previously launched as a way to use natural language typing to inquire about locations and landmarks within Google Maps, but this new-and-improved version is bolstered further by Gemini AI, resulting in a more robust set of actionable commands. As per Android Authority screenshots, the new Ask Maps sits front and center within the app’s home page, accessible via a colorful chip just below the main search bar.

Tapping on this new Ask Maps chip invokes a Gemini-style overlay, which then allows you to type or use your voice to dictate any number of navigation-related inquires. For example, in one of the sample screenshots from Android Authority, the user asks “What is the tallest mountain in Japan?” and the app spits out an AI-generated answer within the overlay, while simultaneously reorienting the Maps interface itself to the precise coordinates of Mount Fuji.

Maps with a sprinkling of Gemini AI

Google clearly wants to Gemini all the things

Generative and agentic artificial intelligence systems are all the rage in the tech space these days, and so it’s no surprise to see Google attempt to graft AI experiences onto more of its mobile apps and services. Just recently, the Google-owned Waze app began the rollout of a new Gemini AI-powered feature of its own, which allows you to use natural language to report on current road conditions while driving.

As for when Google Maps’ new Gemini-enhanced Ask Maps feature might make it out of beta and into users’ hands, we have very little to go off of at the moment. Google, for its part, hasn’t announced the new, bolstered feature in any official capacity, nor has it provided any timeline for its potential release. Being an under-the-hood beta feature, it could theoretically be axed at any time, but in today’s AI-first age, I don’t foresee this happening.

As someone who values clean, simple user interface design, the idea of a full-fledged AI chatbot living within a navigation app is the sort of thing that gives me pause. That being said, if the feature is integrated well enough into the fabric of Google Maps, then I’ll be at least open to testing it out if and when it does land on my smartphone.