Google Maps has announced a new set of updates to Ask Maps in India, adding Hindi language support, real-time public transit information and Personal Intelligence features aimed at making trip planning and local discovery more personalised.
Ask Maps, which combines Google’s Gemini AI capabilities with Google Maps data, is positioned as the platform’s biggest transformation in more than a decade. The latest updates allow users to interact with Ask Maps in Hindi, receive recommendations based on travel and reservation details, and access live information related to transport, traffic and local businesses.
As part of the rollout, users can now ask questions and receive responses in Hindi when searching for places, planning routes or seeking local recommendations. Google said the feature is designed to make Ask Maps more accessible to a wider set of users across India.
The company is also introducing Personal Intelligence, which enables users to optionally connect Gmail, and in the future other Google apps such as Calendar, to Ask Maps. When enabled, the feature can use information such as flight, hotel or restaurant reservations to provide context-aware suggestions. Google noted that Gmail integration is turned off by default and users can choose whether to connect their accounts.
Another update allows Ask Maps to remember past conversations when history settings are enabled, enabling users to resume trip planning or revisit earlier recommendations without starting a new search.
Google is also expanding Ask Maps’ real-time information capabilities. Users can access live updates related to traffic conditions, weather and business activity levels. In addition, a new transit experience brings real-time schedules, delays, route changes and connection information for buses, metros and trains directly within Ask Maps.
According to Google, the transit feature can provide live departure times and multimodal travel options at transport hubs, while automatically updating waiting times when services are delayed.
The updates are rolling out in India starting today.
