Google is rolling out new updates to Ask Maps in India, its AI-powered Google Maps feature that lets users ask natural-language questions about places, routes, and local information. The feature now supports Hindi, personalised recommendations using Gmail, remembers previous conversations and delivers live transit data.
The most notable change is language support. Ask Maps can now understand and respond to queries in Hindi. This makes it easier for Indian users to discover places, plan routes and get local recommendations without needing to switch to English.
Google is also introducing Personal Intelligence to Ask Maps, letting users securely connect it to Gmail, with support for Calendar and other apps expected to follow. Once connected, Ask Maps can use details like your upcoming flight or dinner reservation to give more relevant suggestions.
For instance, asking for ways to spend a few hours near your hotel before a flight the next day will pull relevant suggestions based on your hotel booking in Gmail. It will also provide you with tips on when to leave for the airport and so on.
Google is emphasising that this feature is opt-in only and stays off by default. Moreover, users retain full control over whether to connect their Gmail account at all.
Moving on, if a user's activity history settings are turned on, Ask Maps will also remember past conversations, letting them resume planning without starting from scratch.
In the official blog post, Google provides an example of asking Maps to recall earlier trip suggestions for Seattle. The assistant can then pull up those recommendations instantly.
In addition, Ask Maps is also getting better at surfacing live information, including expected traffic on a commute and current weather conditions. It can also let users know how busy a particular restaurant or shop is before heading out, which is super useful for avoiding long waits.
Rounding off the update is a new transit widget built directly into Ask Maps, bringing live schedules and delay information for buses, metros and trains.
For example, asking for schedules at Delhi's ISBT Kashmere Gate will surface live departure times across inter-city buses, local buses and metro routes. If a particular bus or train ends up running late, the estimated wait time adjusts in real time accordingly.
With these additions, Google is making Ask Maps far more useful for users in India. From understanding Hindi to offering personalised recommendations and live transit information, the latest update to Google Maps will likely make planning trips and discovering places feel more effortless.
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