Google Maps gets AI feature Ask Maps and updated Immersive Navigation

Google has announced two major Maps updates: a conversational AI assistant Ask Maps and a substantially redesigned immersive navigation mode. The company describes the latter as the largest change to the service in over a decade. Ask Maps is a new AI tool built directly into the app interface. Instead of precise search queries, users will be able to ask questions in free form: "Where to go with children near downtown?" or "Which restaurant with parking is open on Sunday evening?". The system processes such queries using a language model and returns specific recommendations taking into account time of day, distance, and user preferences.

This fundamentally changes how people use maps. Historically, Maps was a tool for specific point searches — you knew where you wanted to go and plotted a route. Ask Maps transforms the service into a local advisor that helps you make a decision before a specific destination is even defined.

The second component of the update — Immersive Navigation — builds on the Immersive View mode launched several years ago. While the previous version allowed users to examine the destination in 3D before the trip, the updated mode works in real-time during movement. Navigation now provides a detailed street view with overlaid turns, lane markings, and warnings — in three-dimensional space that visually resembles what a driver sees through the windshield.

Google particularly emphasizes the scale of the update: "the largest update in over a decade" — a phrase the company uses extremely rarely. For context: previous significant milestones included the launch of Street View in 2007, the addition of offline maps, real-time traffic data, and integration with public transportation.

In a broader context, Google is actively embedding AI across its entire product stack. Search has gained AI Overviews mode, Workspace has Gemini assistants, and now Maps completes the chain. The service's monthly audience exceeds two billion users — an update of this scale is not an experiment, but a bet on changing a key behavioral scenario for a huge number of people.

For advertisers, Ask Maps is a potentially significant entry point. Conversational queries like "where to eat nearby" create a direct platform for advertising at the moment of decision-making. Google has not yet disclosed monetization details, but analysts already point to it as one of the most promising formats in the coming years.

The update will begin rolling out to users in the coming weeks — first in the US, then in other regions. Ask Maps and Immersive Navigation are different but complementary shifts. One changes how people search for places. The other changes how they get to them. Together they transform Maps from a navigator into a full-fledged digital companion for moving around the city.