Gemini just got a stunning Google Maps upgrade that changes how you'll search locally - here's how

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Gemini now has more visual search results from Maps.
• Previously, results were mostly text.
• Results now include photos, review highlights, and more.

If you use Gemini to help find restaurants, coffee shops, or other local sites, Google just made a big change to help you decide.

In a post on X, the Gemini team announced that its app now gives local search results in a "rich, visual format," showing photos, tips for visiting, review summaries, ratings, and other important information from Google Maps. 

Also: Gemini vs. Copilot: I compared the AI tools on 7 everyday tasks, and there's a clear winner

Previously, if you used Gemini to find this sort of information, you got mostly text results.

How to try it yourself

To give the feature a quick test, I ...