Google-maps/">Google Maps may soon greet travelers arriving at an airport they have not visited before, according to code examined by Android Authority in version 26.45.00.1011720968 of the Android app. The feature appears designed to encourage travelers to use Ask Maps, Google’s AI tool for finding services, restaurants and attractions.
The code suggests the app would use location data to detect when a phone enters a virtual boundary around an airport. A component named “AirportGeofenceSyncWorker” checks whether the user is visiting the area for the first time. To help determine that, Maps may combine GPS and location data with information from Location History, Gmail, Google Calendar and Gemini Personal Intelligence, if those integrations are enabled.
If the app detects a first visit, it could send a welcome notification with activity suggestions and a ready-made Ask Maps prompt. The example asks for directions to the city center, a recommendation for a first meal and information about events happening that evening. Travelers would not have to enter the request themselves to receive initial recommendations.
Ask Maps could suggest transport, restaurants and events, as well as plan itineraries, recommend places based on a user’s preferences and handle tasks such as booking hotel rooms or ordering food.
The code reportedly lists more than 90 airports around the world, including locations in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. No Brazilian airport appears in the locations identified so far.
Google has not announced when the feature might launch. The finding came from an APK teardown, which examines an app’s code for features in development; such discoveries do not guarantee that a feature will be released publicly.
Sources: Canaltech.