New Google Maps Navigation Feature Could Bring 360-Degree Landmark Guidance

New Google Maps Navigation Feature Could Bring 360-Degree Landmark Guidance

By Bogdan Popa
Publication Date: 2026-11-02 06:04:00

The immersive navigation update announced by Google for Google Maps users earlier this year – and which has already shipped for some users in the United States – includes landmark-based navigation powered by Gemini. The new AI assistant that replaced Google Assistant on Android and Android Auto can look for nearby landmarks and provide drivers with more detailed navigation instructions when heading towards a configured destination.

This means that instead of a typical “turn left in 500 meters,” Google Maps should be able to offer a more detailed turn indication, similar to “turn left after the gas station.”

Google is now getting ready to push this feature to a completely new level.

A patent called “systems and methods for using visual landmarks in initial navigation” describes how this system can provide guidance not only using the landmarks that you find on your route but also the ones that are located at a much greater distance. As long as they…