First look: Here's how Gemini will use Google Maps to become a chatty local guide

A few weeks back, we reported that Google was working on bringing a Maps integration to Gemini, turning it into a personal travel guide or local discovery agent. At the time, the feature wasn’t live, and the “Map” button we managed to surface in Gemini’s attachment menu was completely grayed out. All we had to go on were a few strings of code that hinted at how the feature might work.

Now, a fresh teardown of the Google app gives us our first real look at how Gemini’s Maps integration is shaping up, and it’s exactly as powerful as we expected.

In Google app version 17.6.58.ve.arm64, we’ve enabled the new Maps attachment feature inside Gemini. This will allow users to attach a specific map area directly to a prompt and then ask questions based on that location.

Once a map area is attached, Gemini can suggest restaurants, tourist attractions, hospitals, and other nearby places, depending on what you ask. Functionally, the feature feels similar to Google Maps’ “Search this area” button. However, with Gemini’s conversational abilities, you can really do a lot more to explore the location and get more precise results.

For instance, instead of typing something like “Find good cafes near Central Park,” you can select an area on the map and simply ask, “Where should I eat here?” That’s not all, though. Since Gemini can basically answer all types of questions, you’ll also be able to use this feature to ask things like, “Is this a safe area to walk at night?” or “What are the rents like in this area?”

Unlike our previous report, where the Map option didn’t open at all, the latest version of the Google app finally reveals the full selection UI. When you tap Maps in the attachment sheet, Gemini opens a full-screen map view (see above) where you can see the following:

• A search icon in the top-right corner
• A current location button in the bottom-right
• A large “Explore this area: button at the bottom

You can zoom in or out to change the selected area before attaching it. Tapping Explore this area adds the chosen region as a “Map area” attachment in the Gemini compose box.

There’s also a search UI where you can look up places, or choose “Use precise location” to have Gemini focus on your exact location. That said, searching for places currently crashes the app. Clearly, this feature is still very much a work in progress.

Once a map area is attached and you send your prompt, Gemini connects to the Google Maps extension to generate responses.

In our testing, the results weren’t fully accurate. No matter which area we selected and attached, Gemini kept recommending places across the entire city rather than just the local area of focus. Still, it correctly understood the intent, recognizing that we were looking for food recommendations.

This tells us that while the feature’s foundation is in place, Google still needs to fix the wiring and make everything work as it’s supposed to.