I Took the Google Gemini on a Road Trip and Was Pleasantly Surprised.
Gemini’s integration into Google Maps’ navigation mode, announced last November , is now more widely available in the Android and iOS apps, giving you access to enhanced artificial intelligence on the road.
This means that when you say “Hey Google,” Gemini will appear instead of the Google Assistant, giving you a more advanced and interactive interface. In addition to all the usual navigation and map search features, Gemini in Google Maps can answer questions, search for information, and perform many of the same tasks as in the native app.
As soon as I saw that my app had been updated, I immediately tested it using the Android app and Android Auto to see if Gemini could be relied upon as a reliable travel companion.
Gemini will help you get from point A to point B.
Overall, Gemini is very useful and reliable when it comes to getting from one place to another. All my AI requests for location searches and navigation were answered quickly and accurately, and it’s easy to change destinations or add additional stops using voice commands.
Commands like “What time will I arrive?”, “What’s the traffic situation on my route?”, and “What’s my next turn?” work perfectly. You can check the weather for your destination or get detailed reviews and ratings for the destination. Changing my destination and switching to another one was much easier with voice commands than tapping the Android Auto screen.
The biggest issue I had was getting back to the main navigation screen after searching for stop suggestions along the route—the Gemini didn’t seem to understand the “return to navigation screen” command (despite claiming otherwise), and I ended up having to say “clear search results from screen” to get back to the turn-by-turn directions.
I had to speak quite loudly and clearly to be understood, and Gemini occasionally made a few mistakes in interpreting the names of the places I was looking for. However, it was smart enough to understand context: for example, when I was heading to a church, I only needed to say its full name the first time, and then I could simply call it “the church.”
The AI is still limited by the data it has—Gemini told me it didn’t have enough information when I asked for a more scenic route to my destination—but overall, it was helpful and proactive. I was frequently asked if I needed anything else (similar to how the Gemini app itself works) and regularly wished me a pleasant trip.
Gemini can help with more than just directions.
With Google Maps and Android Auto, you get full Gemini functionality, so you can ask it anything. The AI provided me with up-to-date and accurate information about TV shows, music, and news, though it wasn’t completely immune to strange hallucinations: it told me the Galaxy S26 was a “significant upgrade” from its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 (it wasn’t).
I could ask questions about traffic rules and road signs, and Gemini provided the information I needed, regularly reminding me to focus on driving. Google claims it’s like “having a knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat,” and that’s not far from the truth—though the conversation can sometimes feel a little stilted.
Gemini can also play music—it can find songs, artists, and playlists in apps like YouTube Music and Spotify. It worked mostly without a hitch, though I once had to ask it to stop the music twice, and the AI only half-worked when I asked it to switch to Pocket Casts (the app appeared, but no sound played).
The ability to access email, calendar events, and incoming messages while on the go is another really useful feature of the Gemini. I was able to get detailed information about an incoming message and reply to it without taking my eyes off the road—very convenient if you need to let people know where you are or when you’ll arrive.
Despite a few bugs and shortcomings, I was impressed with Gemini in Google Maps: it truly seems as smart as Google claims. Perhaps the transition from Google Assistant to Gemini took some time, but now that it’s finally here, I find it a polished and useful tool.