Google Maps on Apple CarPlay now has Gemini built into navigation. Tap the Gemini icon on the right edge of the screen while a route is running and you can talk to Google Maps like a proper assistant, without picking up your iPhone.
The update is live in the US right now. This is the first time Google Maps has offered any voice assistant on CarPlay. Until now, Google Assistant only worked when you ran Google Maps navigation directly on your iPhone.
Gemini on CarPlay handles multi-step questions mid-drive
Gemini takes chained questions and conditions in a single request, the way you would talk to a passenger who has a phone in hand and knows the area well. You do not need to break a trip into separate commands.
The examples shown with the rollout give a good picture of what that looks like. A driver can ask for any of these:
- Which park in the city is known for its views over the skyline
- Whether now is a good time to visit, given the crowds and whether the weather will hold
- To start navigating there while avoiding toll roads
That last request shows the point of the feature. You describe the trip once, and Google Maps builds the route around what you said.
Traffic reports by voice now work on CarPlay too
Gemini can also report traffic disruptions when you speak. If you spot an accident or a slowdown ahead, you say so out loud and keep your eyes on the road, rather than reaching for the screen.
This matches the navigation experience Google introduced on Google Maps for Android and iOS last year. Until this update, CarPlay did not get any of it.
Google Maps joins a growing list of AI assistants on CarPlay
Google Maps is not the only app bringing conversational AI to the dashboard. Microsoft Copilot is now on Apple CarPlay as well, and more chatbots may be coming to the platform in their own right.
Google also owns Waze, which recently added Gemini search worldwide along with an enhanced motorcycle mode. Gemini is now spreading across Google’s navigation apps, and CarPlay drivers get a share of it.
Gemini in Google Maps on Apple CarPlay is available now in the US, with the global rollout underway. Android Auto already has the same Gemini navigation experience.
