Google lately up to date its Google Maps app for iPhone with a brand new characteristic. In case you enable it, Google Maps can now scan your iPhone’s photograph library for screenshots and pictures of locations and save them to a singular folder.
This characteristic is powered by Google’s Gemini AI, which can scan your pictures for location info, like names and addresses, so customers can conveniently pull up a map itemizing and instructions anytime. This eliminates the headache of remembering you even took a screenshot or photograph of a particular location however forgot to discover it extra. Relatively than looking by your pictures and typing the placement into Google Maps manually, it’s completed for you and arranged neatly throughout the app.
Whereas it is a useful characteristic, it does elevate some privateness considerations. I’m undecided how I really feel about permitting Google entry to scan my complete Images library. There’s an choice to skip the automated scan and add pictures manually, however that considerably defeats the aim. Is that this info getting used to create profiles on you or bought to others? Probably.
It appears customers will in the end should reconcile with how a lot privateness they’re prepared to compromise for comfort as AI continues to be in its relative infancy. The place do you draw the road? Personally, my pictures are a boundary I’d wish to restrict full entry to wherever attainable.
Beneath is the entire information on how one can handle this new characteristic, based on Google.
- Open Google Maps in your iPhone.
- Navigate to the You tab.
- On the high of the You tab, you’ll see a Screenshots listing with a badge that claims Attempt it out! Faucet the badge. This may open a video displaying you the way the characteristic works — you’ll even have the ability to check it out alongside the video.
- You’ll see a request to permit Google Maps entry to your pictures. Select when it has entry.
- Subsequent time you are taking a screenshot that features location info, head to Google Maps after.
- If Maps acknowledges a spot, a message will pop up telling you that it has locations prepared so that you can evaluate.
- Faucet evaluate, and determine if you wish to save the picture to your screenshots listing or not. (You may add these photographs to different lists later, too, if you’d like.)
- You even have the choice to add screenshots manually: While you’re within the app choose the Screenshots listing below the You tab. From there, you may add screenshots manually. The remainder of the method is identical!
- You’ll see the saved locations straight in your map or can get to the listing by You tab to entry whilst you’re on the go.
One fascinating observe: I’m working iOS 18.4.1 on an iPhone 13 Professional, however this characteristic shouldn’t be but out there in my Google Maps app. I’ve adjusted my settings manually, ensured the app is up-to-date, and even deleted it and reinstalled it. Nonetheless, no cube. Test it out to see if it really works for you. The Apple Maps vs. Google Maps is normally fairly scorching. Does this screenshot recognition characteristic transfer the needle come what may for you?