Google expands Ask Maps with Hindi, live transit data and personalised recommendations

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Google brings Hindi and real-time transit features to Ask Maps
Google brings Hindi and real-time transit features to Ask Maps

Google is making its conversational Maps experience more useful for users in India with a new set of AI-powered updates. Ask Maps, the Gemini-powered natural language tool introduced in March, can now understand Hindi, provide real-time public transit information and offer more personalised recommendations through Personal Intelligence.

Google described the update as the biggest overhaul to Maps in more than 10 years. With Hindi support, users can ask questions, find destinations and get recommendations using natural language in both Hindi and English.

Ask Maps is also gaining Personal Intelligence. Users can connect their Gmail account to Maps, allowing the service to use details such as hotel bookings, flight information and restaurant reservations to provide more relevant recommendations.

For example, Ask Maps can suggest attractions to visit before a scheduled flight or recommend places near a hotel that has already been booked. Gmail integration is turned off by default and users must enable it manually.

Another addition is conversational memory. When history settings are enabled, Ask Maps can remember earlier conversations. This allows users to continue trip planning or revisit previous recommendations without repeating their prompts. Users can ask the AI to recall activities or destinations suggested during earlier chats.

In India, Ask Maps is also getting live public transit information. Users can view real-time schedules, delays, route changes and connecting options for buses, metro services and trains directly through the conversational interface. The feature is designed to help commuters make travel decisions using updated transit information without conducting multiple searches.

Google said live transit information, Personal Intelligence and conversation memory are now rolling out across all regions where Ask Maps is available, including India.

However, other agentic features such as food ordering, hotel discovery and event recommendations remain limited to the US for now.

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