Bringing Google Assistant to Google Maps

Navigating With Google Maps Is Now Safer And Easier With The Assistant Onboard.

New Assistant integration opens up additional possibilities and superior hands-free navigation thanks to its new low profile. Now, Google Assistant can help you navigate in Google Maps for Android and iOS. With just your voice, you’ll be able to share your ETA with friends and family, reply to text messages, control navigation, play music and podcasts, search for places along your route like gas stations, nearby restaurants and saved locations, add a new stop and auto-punctuate your message, all this without closing the navigation window making it easier than ever to go hands-free.

Google Assistant will text for you, as you drive and navigate Maps.

Stay productive and safe on the road

On Android, the Assistant works with messaging services from the following providers: SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Hangouts, Viber, Telegram, Android Messages and more. And when you’re driving, the Assistant automatically calculates your ETA from Google Maps if you want to send your arrival time to friends. Just say “Hey Google, take me home,” to open Google Maps and get help from your Assistant on your journey.

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Google Assistant in +Google Maps was billed as “having a lower visual profile” to ensure that users are focused on driving. You can say “Hey Google” to activate it.

This will slide up a compact bar that covers the panel noting your arrival time and distance estimate, as well as other navigation controls. During daylight hours, the Google Assistant icon and animation is displayed against a white backdrop, while the panel conforms to navigation’s usual night mode with a dark background. Commands will run in the background, and keep users in Google Maps. Phone calls now just initiate without the dialer opening. Users can also issue commands like texting, playing music, and more from Assistant without having to leave navigation mode. Google had previously discussed the Maps/Assistant integration and the changes are intended to help drivers focus on the roads rather than their handsets.

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While Google Assistant has been on iOS for a while, accessing it required users to go out of their way(because that’s how Apple prohibits other companies) — a step not everyone would necessarily take. Google is finally melding two of its most useful apps into one package. With this move, it’s going to be front and center in Google Maps that millions of iOS users already use. The integration is a massive step forward for Google Assistant on the iPhone.

If you’ve been using Maps to navigate, you’ll immediately notice the UI has been simplified to provide less visual distraction while driving. When you activate the Assistant a white panel with the icon indicating the Assistant is listening temporarily covers a panel at the bottom of the display.

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