Google Maps can now use Gemini AI to identify and save locations from your iPhone screenshots. While this seems like a niche use, it is actually a huge timesaver that will streamline travel planning by organizing places on the map that you discover online from other sources.

Gemini AI Turns Screenshots Into Travel Plans

Google Maps can now use Gemini AI behind the scenes to scan your iPhone screenshots for location information. After extracting the text of the place names and deducing their locations, Gemini collates them on Google Maps. This feature is handy if you often take screenshots of travel blogs, social media posts, or articles featuring destinations you wish to visit. Now, you can skip a research step as Gemini does the heavy lifting for you automatically.

To enable this feature, open the Google Maps app on your iPhone and navigate to the You tab at the bottom of the screen. You’ll find a new Screenshots list with a Try it out! badge. Tapping this badge will guide you through a brief tutorial and prompt you to grant the app access to the Photos app on iOS.

Once activated, Gemini AI will automatically detect location information in your screenshots. When it identifies the location in the screenshot, Google Maps will notify you that it has places ready for review. You can then save these locations to your Screenshots list, which will display them on the map. You can then easily share the Google Maps locations with your travel companions.

Google’s The Keyword blog also walks you through the steps. Note that Gemini can recognize place names and addresses from text within screenshots; it does not yet identify locations based solely on photos or visual landmarks.

This feature is currently rolling out to iOS users in the US and will soon expand to Android devices.

Enhancing Travel Planning With AI

Creating a travel wish list by saving photos from social sites or sent by friends is common. However, a common issue is that we take screenshots of interesting places but later struggle to recall or locate them amidst a cluttered photo gallery. By integrating Gemini AI into Google Maps, Google provides a solution that organizes these snippets of information into a more usable form.

For instance, you can visit the places on the map and use Street View to get a sense of the place. Then, you can use some of these advanced Google Maps features to research the weather, explore specific landmarks, or avoid the busiest times.

This update can also make you more intentional about taking screenshots during your research. After all, Gemini and Google Maps can do some of the work for you.

Bringing AI into everyday tools like Google Maps proves how technology can simplify routine tasks, such as trip planning. By transforming static screenshots into actionable items, we can more efficiently organize our travel plans and ensure we don’t overlook any desired destinations.