Google is "transforming Maps with the power of Gemini models, helping you get answers to complex questions about the world," Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced in an Oct. 31 press release. AI has already "helped us build new experiences for over a decade," but will now be a part of Maps in a largely new way, according to the company.

Google Maps users with cars are getting even more customization options soon.Four years(!) after Google introduced the ability to change what your vehicle looks like on the navigation screen, Google is expanding those options even further,

Google Maps is working on expanding car icon options, four years after first introducing them. Currently, users only have a few basic choices—red sedan, yellow SUV, and green pickup truck—since 2020.

Original 10/17: Instead of appearing over the map layer, Google is moving the rectangular weather widget to the “Latest in the area” — named after the current city, neighborhood, or attraction — sheet that slides up from the bottom.