I’m a very good driver — don’t come at me, I genuinely am, and I’m proud of it. But no matter how good you are behind the wheel, Google Maps is always riding shotgun. Every single day, without fail, whenever I’m going to a new place or following a familiar route, it’s open on my car’s dashboard, and I’m following it like the gospel. I love it, truly.
So when Google Maps rolled out a major AI upgrade with Ask Maps as the standout feature, I was curious. And honestly, I am glad I did because it has completely changed the way I drive and navigate. I didn’t think Maps could get any better for me, but here we are.
Your city, but with better guidance
Ask Maps is exactly what it sounds like — you just ask it things. Real questions, the way you’d ask a friend who knows every corner of the city. Not “cafes near me” typed into a search bar, but “find me a quiet café with free Wi-Fi where I can actually get some work done.” That’s the kind of search this feature was built for, and that example isn’t random — it’s literally something I use it for. I work out of cafés a lot, and finding the right one used to take way more effort than it should. The usual search would throw a list at you and wish you luck. Ask Maps actually understands what you’re looking for.
And the best part is you don’t have to be sitting at home planning ahead. Wherever you are, you just ask about what’s around you at that moment. It’s the kind of feature that sounds simple until you start using it and realize how much friction it removes from your day.
How does it fit into my day?
But finding cafés is just the start of what this thing can do. On weekends, I like getting out and exploring — but I’ve never been the type to sit and Google “things to do in my city this weekend.” It feels absolutely lame because the suggestions aren’t really doable. So now I just open Maps, tap Ask Maps, and type exactly that: fun things to do this weekend. And it doesn’t just fire back a quick list — it actually takes a moment, properly works through everything, and comes back with a handful of suggestions, each one with a little summary that tells you what the place is about and what’s happening there. You know within seconds whether it’s your kind of thing. My search returned six options, and if I want more, I can always ask — though the results get a little broader (in terms of location) as you go past the first batch.
Where it really blew me away, though, was when I was planning a trip to a city I’d never been to. I had an Airbnb booked and really had no idea what to do or where to go. So, I ended up relying on Ask Maps. I dropped in my Airbnb location, told it the dates I’d be there and what I was looking for, and it built me an entire itinerary. Not a vague list of tourist spots, an actual day-by-day plan. That’s the moment I fully understood what this feature was capable of.
One thing I’ve learned using it — be specific. The more detail you give it, the better it gives back. And that matters a lot to me personally, because I’m really picky about where I eat and what I do. I don’t like taking chances on new places; I’ve been burned too many times. But every single suggestion Ask Maps has pointed me toward has been worth it. That trust didn’t come easy, but it’s fully earned now.
You even get a few clever tips along the way
When you’re heading somewhere completely new, that’s when Ask Maps really looks out for you. Alongside everything else, it pulls in tips from people who have actually been there. Not generic advice, but the kind of stuff only someone who’s visited would think to mention — how to get a free ticket, where exactly to buy them so you don’t have to scramble at the entrance, what to wear, what shoes make sense, and what you should absolutely not do once you’re there. The kind of heads-up a well-traveled friend would give you the night before.
That combination of real user input and AI summaries is what makes it feel trustworthy rather than just convenient. You’re not blindly showing up somewhere and figuring it out on the spot — you already know what to expect, what to prepare, and what to avoid. For someone like me who doesn’t do well with unpleasant surprises at a new place, that kind of information upfront makes all the difference.
I’m glad curiosity got the better of me
Honestly, I didn’t think I’d trust AI this much for something I do every single day. But Ask Maps has earned it — almost everything it pointed me toward turned out to be worth it. I say almost, because it did throw me a completely off-base answer twice during my time with it. Hallucinations happen, and I’d rather be upfront about that than pretend it’s flawless. But two misfires across weeks of regular use? I’ll take that.
What also makes this practical in the real world is its direct connection to navigation. You find something you like, you tap the Directions icon right there, and you’re on your way. When you’re already out and making decisions on the fly, that seamlessness matters more than you realize.
If you haven’t tried Ask Maps yet, do it now. Especially if you’re someone who travels a lot, explores on weekends, or just needs a little nudge in the right direction. It’s one of those things that make your day a little easier, and once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you got along without it.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
