Google Maps upgrades navigation in India with Gemini and safety alerts

Google is adding Gemini to Maps in India, along with road safety alerts and more information about roads.

The AI ​​integration, which launched in the US on Wednesday, provides hands-free AI assistance for maps, as well as contextual suggestions during navigation and information about places of interest.

Myriam Daniel, vice president and head of Google Maps, said the rollout requires significant localization.

“When we say localization of India, it is not just about language,” she said in a virtual press conference. “It also adapts to how Indians will use the product, how Indians will talk, how they will ask questions, how they will identify places, geopolitical places, street names, you know, everything is kind of different in India.”

Google said that the Gemini in Maps app 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 adding a host of India-specific navigation and mobility updates. Drivers will now receive visual and audio alerts when they pass through accident-prone lanes. Google said it is working on these alerts with local authorities, and the feature will be rolled out to Android users in Gurugram, Cyberabad district of Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Faridabad.

Google has come under scrutiny in India over the reliability of some navigation paths after a car veered off an unfinished bridge in Uttar Pradesh, killing three men, late last year.

“Real-world conditions can keep changing, and they are very dynamic, sometimes changing in an instant. Maps cannot be accurate 100% of the time,” said Anal Ghosh, senior program manager for Google Maps, when asked about warnings about incomplete roads or incomplete bridges. “So we encourage users to make sure to keep their eyes on the road.”

Google said it has partnered with the country’s highway regulator, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to receive near-real-time data on road closures, diversions and repair works. The partnership will also allow maps to show roadside amenities such as public restrooms, restaurants and gas stations along national highways, the company said.

Other new features include proactive notifications about major disruptions or delays on routes, even when users are not navigating. These alerts are published for Android users for highways and major roads in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The app will also display speed limits as you navigate, using data from local traffic authorities. The feature is being rolled out to Android and iOS users in nine cities: Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad (including Cyberabad region), Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Noida.

Building on the overhead navigation feature launched last year, Maps now gets voice support for overhead bridges. This feature will be rolled out to Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.