Google is rolling out a major feature expansion to “Ask Maps,” the conversational assistant embedded within Google Maps. The update introduces agentic capabilities that allow users to order food, book accommodations, and monitor public transit directly through natural language prompts, alongside deep personalization options driven by connected Google services.
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The expanded assistant enables direct conversational food ordering within the app interface. Powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol introduced at I/O 2026, Ask Maps can recommend dishes based on specific dietary preferences or locations and initiate orders seamlessly. The feature launches with POS partners Toast and Square, with Uber Eats integration scheduled to follow.
Beyond dining, Ask Maps now functions as an interactive travel and entertainment planner:
- Hotel Bookings: Users can input specific travel criteria, such as budget, room size, and proximity to local landmarks, and Ask Maps will search real-time pricing and availability before redirecting users to partner sites to complete reservations.
- Live Events: The chatbot can locate upcoming concerts, comedy shows, and performances tailored to user preferences and location.
To deliver tailored recommendations, Google is introducing Personal Intelligence to Ask Maps. By connecting the chatbot to Google apps, starting with Gmail, with Google Calendar support coming later, Ask Maps can cross-reference personal itineraries. For example, the assistant can check a hotel confirmation email in Gmail to suggest nearby dinner spots automatically.
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As Product Director Maz Khorasani noted, cross-app integrations are off by default, ensuring users retain complete control over their data. Additionally, enabling Google Maps History allows users to save, revisit, and continue previous conversation threads over time.
For commuters, Ask Maps can now generate dynamic, live widgets directly inside the chat interface, displaying real-time wait times, delays, and schedule updates for transit options like municipal ferries or buses. Furthermore, Google’s Local Guides community can now suggest business updates—such as changed store hours—by uploading storefront photos straight into the chat for system verification.
Google is expanding Ask Maps availability to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and more than 150 other countries and territories in English. While live transit widgets and Personal Intelligence are rolling out globally to all Ask Maps markets, conversational food ordering, hotel and event discovery, and chat-based community submissions will debut first in the US before expanding internationally.
