Google is also rolling out AI powers for its Maps application…
Notably, Google Maps will soon get the ‘Immersive view for routes’ feature which was announced during the Google I/O event. The company is also getting Google Lens in Maps and EV charging station information.
Google Maps users can view famous landmarks and even restaurants in 3D in different conditions when they use ‘Immersive view for routes’ feature. This helps them to view things such as different times of the day, different weather conditions, and more.
Google is now able to generate such immersive views of these places with the help of AI that can mix together billions of Street View and aerial images at once.
The Immersive view for routes feature is now rolling out gradually for users in different cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo, and Venice, on both Android and iOS.
What about Google Lens?
Google Lens is now integrated with the Maps search bar for details of places nearby.
Google Maps users are also getting the option to view traffic on a turn-by-turn basis, a pretty solid feature for daily commuters.
They can start the map, and see a small “Immersive View” button at the bottom right corner. Meanwhile, Google Lens is getting situated in the Maps search bar. It works in 50 new cities at the moment, which include Austin, Las Vegas, Rome, São Paulo, and Taipei.
When a user points their camera to the area, they will see an AI overall showing information about nearby ATMs, stations, coffee shops, restaurants, and more, right there on the home screen.
The feature is officially renamed from ‘Lens in Maps’ to ‘Search with Live View’.
Google Maps now includes maps to make navigation more realistic. The update brings new colors, realistic buildings, improved lane details on highways, HOV lane information in the US, and AI-powered speed-limit info in Europe.
What this means for EV owners
For EV owners, Google Maps is making it easier to find nearby charging stations.
The EV information feature is meant to show which charger is compatible with their vehicle, whether the station is fast charging or not, and when it was last used.
The Google Search in Maps has been introduced to provide a visual search feature. The feature is powered by AI as well and it provides photo-based visual search queries for users in France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.