Overview
- Users can activate the assistant during navigation by tapping the Gemini icon or saying “Hey Google” for fully hands‑free use.
- The route‑aware assistant answers contextual questions about nearby neighborhoods, must‑see spots, bathrooms along a route, ETAs, and calendar items, and it can send messages.
- Multi‑step conversations and practical commands are supported, including add a stop, show alternative routes, mute guidance, check the next turn, and get weather at the destination.
- Google positions the feature as a safety and convenience boost that lets walkers and cyclists ask questions without stopping or leaving the navigation screen.
- Recommendations draw on Google Maps’ real‑time place data, the expansion advances Google’s broader Gemini rollout across products, and Google Assistant may still appear on some devices during the transition.