Google Maps in CarPlay gets Gemini voice assistant — InsideEVs

Google has begun rolling out the Gemini voice assistant in the Google Maps app for Apple CarPlay in the United States. iPhone owners who connect their smartphones to a car’s multimedia system can ask the assistant natural, multi-step questions while driving.

As InsideEVs reports, Gemini will respond to queries and, when necessary, suggest a navigation action. For example, a driver can describe a desired place without knowing its exact name, and the service can find it, identify the location, and offer to build a route.

Questions about the route and destination

After determining the destination, users will be able to уточнить the weather forecast, ask whether a venue will be busy at the time of arrival, and search for routes without toll roads. To activate the feature, users need to tap the Gemini icon on the car screen.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Google demonstrated the integration using an inquiry about a park with a view of skyscrapers and the Space Needle tower in Seattle. Gemini identified the location as Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill and offered to build a route there.

Expanding CarPlay capabilities

Google previously added Gemini to Maps through the Ask Maps feature, but it was available only when using the app directly on an iPhone. The new integration brings the assistant’s voice capabilities to the CarPlay interface.

According to InsideEVs, which cites MacRumors, Apple allowed third-party voice conversational apps to interact with CarPlay following the release of iOS 26.4 in March. The Gemini feature in Google Maps for CarPlay is currently available to drivers in the United States, and Google said it will be rolled out globally later.