Google is rolling out AI powers for its Maps application. Notably, Google Maps is getting the ‘Immersive view for routes' feature that was announced during the Google I/O event. Apart from ‘Immersive views for routes', Google Maps is also getting Google Lens in Maps and EV charging station information.
Using the ‘Immersive view for routes' feature, Google Maps users can view famous landmarks and even restaurants in 3D in different conditions, such as different times of the day, different weather conditions, and more. Google can generate such immersive views of these places with the help of AI to “fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images.”
The Google Maps Immersive view for routes feature is currently rolling out gradually for users in different cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo, and Venice, on both Android and iOS.
Google Lens is now integrated with the Maps search bar for details of places nearby
Google Maps users are also getting the option to view traffic on a turn-by-turn basis, a pretty solid feature for daily commuters. As you start the map, you will see a small “Immersive View” button at the bottom right corner. Meanwhile, Google Lens is also getting its place in the Maps search bar. It works in 50 new cities, which include Austin, Las Vegas, Rome, São Paulo, and Taipei.
When you point your camera to the area you are interested in, you will see an AI overall showing you information about nearby ATMs, stations, coffee shops, restaurants, and more, right on your home screen. The feature is officially renamed from ‘Lens in Maps' to ‘Search with Live View'. Google Maps is also getting detailed maps to make navigation more realistic. The update brings new colors, realistic buildings, improved lane details on highways, HOV lane information in the US, and AI-powered speed-limit info in Europe.
For EV owners, Google Maps now makes it easier to find nearby charging stations. The EV information feature will show which charger is compatible with their vehicle, whether the station is fast charging or not, and when it was last used. Lastly, Google has integrated Search in Maps to provide a visual search feature. This feature will be powered by AI and provide photo-based visual search queries for users in France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.
