MacRumors. Google is apparently set to soon incorporate Gemini functionality into Google Maps for iPhone, offering a hands-free navigation option for CarPlay. Engaging with an AI assistant about your environment and requesting it to manage navigation is a safer alternative to manually interacting with the screen to look for locations and establish a route.
In early 2026, Google introduced Gemini capabilities to the iPhone’s Google Maps app, launching an Ask Maps feature within the application. Nevertheless, the Ask Maps feature was initially restricted to users in the U.S. and India. In a separate development, Apple introduced support for voice-driven conversational applications in CarPlay through the iOS 26.4 update released earlier this year. This update enables apps like ChatGPT to function within CarPlay, although they will not displace Siri as the primary voice assistant in CarPlay. Instead, users will need to launch an app to interact hands-free with a different AI. This same experience is now expected to be available in Google Maps on CarPlay.