Google Maps introduces a screenshot tool to make trip planning easier on your iPhone.

Google has recently introduced several features designed to enhance digital travel planning, among which stands out the ability to track hotel prices and the use of artificial intelligence as a personal guide. One of the most interesting capabilities is the ability to extract address details from screenshots and store them in Google Maps. This feature has started to be rolled out gradually, and users began receiving it this week. Additionally, Google has published an update on its blog with instructions on how to activate it.

For now, this feature is focused on iOS devices, although it is expected to be available for Android soon. The relevance of this tool lies in the fact that many people save Google listings, social media ads, and posts about places, restaurants, or monuments as screenshots. This is undoubtedly a quick way to preserve information, especially when there is not enough time to jot everything down.

When users return to those screenshots, they often use Google Lens to extract the text details and then store them in notes in their planner or in custom lists within the "Your" section of Google Maps. With the arrival of Gemini, the AI assistant will now automatically search for this information in the screenshots saved on the phone and add it to a dedicated list in the Google Maps app. According to Google, "The places you save will appear on the map, and you can easily share the list with your travel companions."

This new functionality is similar to the file analysis capabilities of Gemini. For instance, when opening a document in the Files app, a Gemini chip will appear at the top, allowing you to ask questions about the content of the file, and it works quite effectively.

To activate the feature that allows Gemini to scan screenshots and automatically add information to a specific list in Google Maps, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of the Google Maps app on your iPhone.
2. Open the Google Maps app and tap on the "Your" option in the bottom row.
3. On the next page, you will see a new list called Screenshots, with a "Try it!" badge.
4. Tapping it will show a brief tutorial video on how it works. At this time, you will need to grant the app permission to access locally stored media files on your iPhone.
5. The next time you take a screenshot that contains address information, it will be scanned in the background. When you open the Google Maps app afterward, you will be notified that there are new location details ready for review.
6. Approve the addresses you wish to save, and they will be automatically added to the list.
7. You can also manually scan screenshots from the "Your" tab in the app. The saved addresses will appear in the "Screenshots" list and on the map view.