Google Maps upgrades navigation in India with Gemini, safety alerts (techcrunch.com)

Google is rolling out its Gemini AI into Google Maps in India, bringing hands‑free assistance, contextual route suggestions and richer place information to Android and iOS users in the coming weeks. The launch follows Gemini’s U.S. debut and will support nine Indian languages. Google emphasizes deep localization beyond translation — adapting to how Indians ask questions, identify places, handle street and geopolitical names — to make conversational navigation and on‑route suggestions more natural and useful for local users. Alongside Gemini, Maps is getting India‑specific safety and routing updates: visual and audio alerts for accident‑prone stretches (initially in Gurugram, Cyberabad/Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Faridabad), speed‑limit displays in nine cities (Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad/Cyberabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Noida), and proactive disruption notifications on major roads (rolling out to Android users in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru). Google has partnered with the National Highways Authority of India for near‑real‑time data on closures, diversions and repairs, and says some features are being developed with local authorities. The upgrades aim to improve safety and local relevance after scrutiny over route reliability, though Google cautions Maps can’t be perfect and urges drivers to remain attentive.