After rolling out in the US earlier this year, Google has begun expanding their Ask Maps feature to the rest of the world. 

Rolling out from today in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and over 150 countries and territories, ‘Ask Maps’ brings Google’s AI powered assistant, Gemini into Maps, ready to answer real-world questions about places. 

The announcement covers a new live transit widget, as well as more personalized responses, and remembering past conversations – with food delivery also announced, but only in the US. 

Ask Maps will allow you to speak more conversationally with Maps, using multi-step instructions that Gemini can interpret and act on. Like, asking it to order some fried rice to be picked up from your favourite restaurant on the way home.

You can also ask it about upcoming trips, finding hotels and local events with things to do while you visit. Ask Maps can compare real-time prices and availability, delivering results for hotels, as well as offering things to do with links to tickets. 

You can even refer to past conversations, with Ask Maps automatically able to pick up where you left off, or refer back to previous suggestions like “Remind me, what activities did you suggest for my trip to Seattle?”.

A big step for Ask Maps is remembering personal information, referring back to things you’ve mentioned before, or leveraging Gemini’s access to your Gmail, Calendar and more to provide answers, including the option to say ‘find me something to do before my meeting tomorrow’. Ask Maps can take into account a reservation in your calendar for a hotel in another city, delivering results you need.

Google will also leverage their hooks into transit providers around the world, providing real-time transit information to you. 

Using a new transit widget in Ask Maps, you can get up-to-the-minute updates on your ferry, train, bus and more – all you have to do is ask, “Is there a ferry to get to Taronga Zoo with views of the Opera House?” and you’ll get a list of options that update by the minute, in real time.

Google is also going to get you to help flesh out their information about places, expanding on the 500 million contributions that Local Guides have made to Maps over the years. 

With Ask Maps, you’ll be able to suggest edits to places more conversationally, anywhere from a correction on opening times or telling it about alternate parking nearby to updating the image of the location. 

Ask Maps begins rolling out in Google Maps in Australia from today.