If you use Google Maps on your car’s display via CarPlay, you can now talk to Gemini without taking your hands off the wheel. Google has added the assistant to navigation in the CarPlay app: it is already live in the United States and, according to the outlets that have covered it, a worldwide rollout is under way.
What changes in practice
During navigation, a Gemini icon appears on the right-hand side of the screen, above the hazard-report button. Tap it and you can start talking.
What’s new is that the assistant isn’t limited to fixed commands. You can ask detailed, multi-step questions, and Gemini answers with your route in mind. The examples reported by the outlets are concrete:
- asking for a scenic park along the way;
- starting a route that avoids tolls;
- looking for somewhere to eat or a tennis court, even if it’s off your route;
- asking about a point of interest you’re passing.
You can also report slowdowns, accidents and obstacles on the road by voice. Voice reporting already existed on Android Auto and in the Maps app for Android and iOS: now it comes to CarPlay too.
Why it matters
Until now, Google Maps on CarPlay had no real voice assistant. Google Assistant was available only when navigating with the iPhone in your hand or on a mount, not on the car’s screen. Anyone who wanted to talk to an assistant in the car had to turn to Siri, which has always had limited conversations with Google Maps.
The arrival of Gemini closes this gap with Android Auto. One difference remains, however: the Personal Intelligence feature, which lets Gemini draw on Gmail and Calendar to give personalised answers, was introduced by Google on Android Auto and on cars with Google built in, but it is not available on CarPlay. We covered it in our article on Gemini on Android Auto, which also shows that the feature has not yet reached Europe.
Availability in Italy
Google has spoken of a global rollout under way, but has not said when the feature will be visible to users in Italy and Switzerland, or whether it will be available in every language. No additional costs have been reported: this is an update to the Google Maps app, not a separate subscription. It’s worth keeping the app up to date and watching for the icon to appear during navigation: activation may be gradual, as is often the case with Google’s new features.
Who it’s for
The update is for people with an iPhone and a CarPlay-compatible car who prefer Google Maps to Apple Maps, for its traffic data or the completeness of its places. It is especially useful on long journeys, when you need to find a stop, redo your route or work out whether there will be traffic at a certain time, without touching the screen more than necessary.
What we think
From a safety point of view, asking detailed questions by voice makes more sense than scrolling through a menu with your fingers: fewer distractions, provided the assistant really understands you first time. On this, for now, we only have descriptions of early tests, not independent measurements. It’s worth waiting for the rollout in Italy and trying requests in Italian, in particular place names and streets, which are the weak point of many voice assistants.
There is also a market angle. Google is bringing its own artificial intelligence into the cars of Apple users too, while Apple is pushing Siri and its own services. For drivers the competition is good news: if Maps with Gemini works well, CarPlay users are no longer forced to choose between the convenience of the Apple ecosystem and Google’s assistant. How much the lack of Personal Intelligence leaves out remains to be seen, since it is the most interesting part for anyone who wants the assistant to know their appointments.
Written by the SpazioiTech newsroom with the help of AI tools, from facts verified across at least two independent outlets, and checked before publication. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
