Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is adding an “Ask about place” contextual chip for Gemini.
- The chip has started appearing when Gemini is called up from Google Maps, but only for certain place types.
- Functionality is currently a bit shaky, with Gemini sometimes refusing to access Maps URLs
With Gemini, Google has a large language model on its hands that’s capable of some very impressive feats, but those are only going to convince people of its value if they get to experience them. That makes discovery a big part of Google’s job with getting Gemini out there, and over the past few months we’ve been tracking ongoing efforts to expose users to Gemini’s growing set of skills. Early last month, we looked at a new way Gemini was preparing to let users know about its ability to interact with Google Maps, and that finally appears to be rolling out publicly.
We’re talking about Gemini’s “Ask about place” contextual chip. Pull up Gemini in most apps, and you’ll see its “ask about screen” chip, letting you start getting more information about whatever you’re working with. But we were able to activate an in-development chip that offered a little more tailored approach to dealing with places in specific when calling up Gemini from Google Maps. After bringing you that early preview, we’re now seeing the feature begin to publicly roll out.
Right now, it feels like this is still a work in progress, and we’re both not seeing the new chip on all accounts just yet, and on those we do we’ve observed varying levels of functionality. When it works, Gemini is able to answer your questions about stuff like the best way to reach a destination. This is accomplished by passing along a Maps URL attached to your Gemini query.
Just as we observed before, this only appears to be available for certain kinds of Maps entries. We see the chip appear for most points of interest, but don’t get the chip when looking at something like an entire city or state.
Even when we do see the chip, Gemini sometimes complains about not being able to work with Maps; it’s possible Gemini Advanced may be required for some of this at the moment. As a consequence, the experience is a bit frustrating in its current form, and it feels like Google may have started making this visible before it was truly ready. We’ll be keeping an eye on the company’s progress here, and try to let you know when accessing this chip is smooth and works just as intended.
