Google Maps Introduces New Photo Captioning Feature Powered by Gemini AI

On April 7, Google Maps announced three new updates designed to simplify photo sharing, caption writing, and contribution tracking. Android users can now enjoy a feature that automatically selects photos and videos from recent visits once media access is enabled. Additionally, Google has enhanced the ‘Local Guides’ profile page by adding total points, levels, and a new ‘Gold’ profile color. April 14, Kathmandu.

With over 500 million users worldwide, Google Maps continues to refine the user experience by rolling out three updates aimed at making photo sharing, caption creation, and tracking contributions easier than ever. Sharing photos and videos has become faster, with the improved ‘Contribute’ tab now smarter than before. When users enable media access on their phones, Maps will automatically pick relevant photos and videos based on recent visits. Users can then post these media files with just a single tap. This feature is currently available to Android users globally and is expected to be rolled out to iOS devices in the coming months.

To assist users who may struggle with selecting appropriate words while posting photos, Google has integrated its powerful AI model, Gemini, to help generate captions. Upon selecting a photo, Gemini analyzes the image and drafts a caption automatically. Users have the option to edit or remove the suggested caption as they wish. Currently, this AI-powered captioning feature is available for iOS users in the United States in English and is set for global expansion soon.

To boost the enthusiasm of ‘Local Guides,’ Google has also updated the profile page. The ‘Contribute’ tab now clearly displays the user’s total points and level. Furthermore, new badges have been introduced to recognize achievements, making it easier to identify high-level contributors. A new ‘Gold’ profile color has been launched to distinguish top contributors visually. These updates are already rolling out globally across Android, iOS, and desktop platforms.