Google Maps Code Points to Gemini AI Coming to CarPlay

The discovery suggests Google is preparing to use Apple’s new CarPlay support for third‑party voice chat apps.

Overview

Journalists reviewing the Google Maps app found code that references Gemini support in CarPlay, with the feature not yet active.
Aaron Perris’s findings, reported by MacRumors and echoed by 9to5Mac, point to a setup flow tied to a Terms of Service prompt in the iPhone app.
The strings suggest conversational features such as asking for directions to a place and getting detailed location answers through an “Ask Maps” experience.
Gemini already works inside Google Maps on iPhone, but it is not available in the CarPlay version of the app.
Apple enabled third‑party conversational apps in CarPlay with iOS 26.4, and apps like ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity are already live, while Google has not announced timing for Gemini’s rollout.