Google Maps can be your best friend when traveling to an unfamiliar place, but the app is not just about showing directions to the destination on your itinerary. Google has packed in many more features to help you navigate smoothly while managing your travel.

Maps is also using Gemini to get smarter about how it phrases navigation instructions. Expect to get a lot less “turn in 500 feet” and more useful contextual information, like turns based on landmarks you can actually see from where you are.

Google Maps knows the routes that you frequent. Especially when you're already on a trip, it knows the roads you will take. Knowing that information, it can now give you proactive notifications about disruptions on the road, including alers about unexpected closures, heavy traffic jams, accidents, and more.

Google Maps integrates Gemini AI with landmark-based directions, visual Lens tools and proactive alerts, navigation just got conversational.