What you need to know
- Google Maps may soon let you order food with Gemini, cutting off apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash.
- A secret code in the latest Google Maps app hints at an upcoming “Ask Maps to order food” feature, but it’s not live yet.
- The feature appears to build on Gemini’s experience with Request Maps, taking users from restaurant discovery to ordering in a single conversation.
Google Maps has long been the go-to app for finding good places to eat. Soon, it could also be an app that orders your food before you arrive.
Latest version Google Maps (26.27.00.941319029) has lines of code that indicate the app can be used for more than just discovering restaurants and letting users order food through it. Twins-Powered Maps experience, observed by people Android Authority. If it works as intended, users may not have to log into apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash to order.
The strings refer to a function called “Ask to order food from Maps”. The feature isn’t live right now, but the wording gives one of the clearest glimpses into what Google is planning.
“Tell us what you want, find local favorites and Maps will order it for you – even when you’re on the go,” reads one of the promotional messages. Other lines include an “Order Food” shortcut, a “Try” button, and an option to decline the request later.
Gemini does the heavy lifting
The idea probably came from him Ask for mapsGoogle introduced its AI assistant earlier this year. Gemini now has a feature that allows users to find restaurants and attractions through natural language conversations instead of traditional keyword searches. It seems that Google is not content with just recommendations. Instead, the next logical step seems to be for you to complete the order.
We don’t yet know exactly how Google plans to do this. The big unknown is whether Gemini will be able to run the entire ordering process in the cloud, or whether Google will rely on the AI capabilities of the newer device.
Android Authority notes that some features may require newer hardware to work, such as the agent AI features that Google recently announced for the Pixel 10 series, which can do things like place orders. However, Maps has always offered the same basic experience on Android devices, so it would be surprising if food ordering was limited to a few phones.
Then there’s the question of what order Google has in mind. The app’s lines are focused on takeout, which means Maps can order food while you’re driving.
If this feature sounds familiar, that’s because Google has tested in-app food ordering before. The company also introduced restaurant ordering to Search, Assistant and Maps years ago with partners including DoorDash and other delivery services. What’s different this time is the level of AI.
But for now there is no public interface to test and no graph to launch. As with any APK teardown, just because you see the code doesn’t mean a feature will ship. Google builds a lot of things that never become stable releases.
Android Central’s Take
If it really helps me avoid jumping between three different apps to sort out lunch, I’d be all for it. If Google Maps can suggest a restaurant, order my food, and have it ready for me when I arrive, that’s a real improvement in quality of life. But Google tends to add more features to Maps every year, and some of them don’t stick. Rather than turning Maps into another bloated app that tries to do everything and does very little, I’d like to see the company achieve a fast, reliable ordering experience.
