Google Gemini integration coming to Apple CarPlay through Google Maps, leaked code reveals

One of CarPlay's most popular apps is about to get a big upgrade, per leak - 9to5Mac

Apple Maps keeps getting better, but for many CarPlay users, Google Maps is still their go-to app. And per a code leak, Google Maps for CarPlay is about to get a big upgrade thanks to Gemini integration. Ever since iOS 26.4 added support for AI chatbot apps, we've seen new CarPlay apps arrive for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok. Google Gemini doesn't yet have a CarPlay app, but a code leak shows it will soon come to CarPlay in a form that may be even more useful. As discovered by Aaron Perris, code strings for the Google Maps CarPlay app show that Gemini integration is in the works, and expected soon. Gemini is already available inside Google Maps for iPhone. But the AI assistant isn't yet part of the CarPlay experience. Based on Perris's findings though, it looks like users will soon get a Gemini upgrade in Google Maps for CarPlay too. To get an idea of what Gemini in Google Maps might enable, this video offers some examples. Hopefully after Gemini rolls out for Google Maps, we'll get a dedicated Gemini app for CarPlay next. Do you use Google Maps or Apple Maps in CarPlay? Let us know in the comments.

Apple CarPlay Will Soon Get a Fourth AI Chatbot

Apple CarPlay will soon become host to yet another AI chatbot, with Google set to enter the fray. Code in the Google Maps iOS app spotted by MacRumors suggests Gemini integration is coming to Google Maps on CarPlay, allowing drivers to ask the assistant for directions and information hands-free. The Google Maps app actually supports Gemini on iPhone already, but the chatbot isn't available for use in Google Maps when connected to CarPlay. Gemini in Google Maps adds an "Ask Maps" feature that can answer complex, real-world questions about locations and destinations. When Gemini arrives on your dash - and there's no word on when that will be just yet - Google's large language model will become the fourth AI chatbot available in CarPlay, joining ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok, the last of which arrived earlier this week. The recent flurry of AI assistants in CarPlay is largely thanks to iOS 26.4, which opened the door to third-party voice-driven conversational apps for the first time. Developers need a special entitlement from Apple and have to use its voice control template. The rules aim to limit visual clutter to a maximum of four action buttons, and they bar chatbots from displaying text or imagery in responses so as not to distract the driver. What's notably absent from the AI chatbot lineup is Apple's own Siri, which still can't carry on a real-time conversation in the car (or anywhere else, for that matter). Things should change soon, however, with an enhanced Siri - including a dedicated app - expected to arrive in iOS 27 later this year. Ironically, it will reportedly be powered by Gemini under the hood.