Google Maps is rolling out a suite of upgrades in India, integrating Gemini AI and enhanced safety features to provide a more intuitive and secure navigation experience. The update includes conversational navigation, summarized local tips, and improved safety alerts, such as warnings for accident-prone areas and speed limits.
The integration of Gemini AI enables a hands-free, conversational driving experience, allowing users to ask complex, multi-step questions while driving. For instance, users can ask Google Maps to find vegan, budget-friendly restaurants with parking along their route, and even create Calendar events automatically. This feature also supports real-time EV charging station lookups, ETA sharing, and spoken local recommendations. Furthermore, proactive local tips and AI-powered "Questions About Places" will provide users with information on attractions, businesses, and reviews without needing to switch apps.
In addition to navigation enhancements, Google Maps is introducing new safety features tailored for India's road network. Through partnerships with government authorities, Google Maps will now provide accident-prone area alerts, visually and audibly alerting users as they approach such zones to promote safer driving. This feature is initially rolling out in areas like Gurugram, Cyberabad in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Faridabad. Moreover, Google Maps will display official speed limits for roads, sourced from local traffic authorities, right next to the speedometer.
Google Maps is also enhancing its disruption alerts, notifying users of major traffic disruptions or delays on the road ahead, even if they are not actively using navigation. India is among the first markets to receive this feature for Android users on major roads in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. A new collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will provide Google Maps with near real-time data on highway road closures and repairs. This partnership will also help surface information for wayside amenities like restrooms and petrol stations.
Other India-first features include in-app Metro ticket booking (currently live in 4 cities, with Mumbai to follow), voice-enabled flyover navigation in 9 Indian languages, and customizable two-wheeler avatars for riders.
Lalitha Ramani, General Manager, Google Maps India, emphasized the company's commitment to combining leading AI technologies with deep local understanding to create a map that is truly for India. She noted that collaborative efforts have enabled millions of daily updates to the map in India, scaling India-first features like flyover callouts and narrow road navigation nationwide, and expanding critical coverage such as EV and public transport. These updates will be available on both Android and iOS, enhancing the India-specific experience across navigation, safety, and AI assistance.
