Google is rolling out Assistant in Maps for iOS

Google announced today at the CES 2019 show that it has begun rolling out its popular voice-activated Assistant feature to the mobile Maps app for iOS and Android.

Google says you can do the following with Assistant in the Maps app:

  • Share your ETA with friends and family
  • Reply to text messages
  • Play music and podcasts
  • Search for places along your route
  • Add a new stop and auto-punctuate your message

These are useful voice shortcuts, some of which Apple already offers in iOS and CarPlay through Siri, like the ability to message and call people using your voice, or play music.

I wish Apple updated Siri with the ability to search along routes and ETA sharing. On iOS, Siri automatically calculates your estimated time of arrival from the Maps app so that you can ask her things like “How long ’till we get there?” or some such.

But asking her to send your arrival time to friends? No cigar.

Google Assistant in Maps is a staggered release that will be pushed to users in phases. If you don’t yet see this feature in Maps for iOS, check back in a few days or weeks.

Google Maps is a free download from App Store.