Google is adding Gemini to Maps in India, along with road safety alerts and more information about routes. This AI integration brings hands-free assistance to Maps, providing contextual suggestions while navigating and information about places of interest.
Miriam Daniel, vice president and head of Google Maps, explained that the rollout required significant localization. She noted that localizing for India involves more than just language. It also means adapting to how Indians use the product, how they speak, how they ask questions, and how they identify places, including geopolitical locations and street names.
Gemini in Maps will be available to all Android and iOS users in India in the coming weeks. At launch, Gemini will support nine Indian languages. Google is also introducing a set of India-specific navigation and commuting updates.
Drivers will now receive visual and audio alerts when passing accident-prone stretches. Google is working with local authorities on these alerts, and the feature will initially roll out to Android users in Gurugram, the Cyberabad region of Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Faridabad.
Google has faced scrutiny in India over the reliability of some navigation routes. This followed an incident where a car drove off an unfinished bridge in Uttar Pradesh last year, resulting in three fatalities.
When asked about warnings for incomplete roads, Anal Ghosh, senior program manager for Google Maps, stated that real-world conditions are dynamic and can change instantly. He acknowledged that Maps cannot be accurate one hundred percent of the time and encouraged users to keep their eyes on the road.
Google has partnered with the National Highways Authority of India to receive near real-time data on road closures, diversions, and repair work. This partnership will also allow Maps to display wayside amenities like public restrooms, restaurants, and fuel stations along national highways.
Other new features include proactive notifications about major disruptions or delays on routes, even when users are not actively navigating. These alerts are rolling out to Android users for highways and major roads in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
The app will also display speed limits during navigation, using data from local traffic authorities. This feature is rolling out to Android and iOS users in nine cities: Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Noida.
Building on the flyover navigation feature launched last year, Maps is now adding voice support for flyovers. This feature will roll out to Android and iOS users over the coming weeks.