Yandex Maps introduces landmark-based navigation prompts

Yandex Maps and Navigator are the first navigation services in Russia to provide turn-by-turn guidance based on visible city landmarks along the route — not just streets and exits. Powered by AI, the apps now explain directions naturally — the way a person would — with prompts such as “Turn right after the grocery store” or “Keep left at the gas station in 200 meters”. The feature is designed to help drivers navigate unfamiliar routes and complex interchanges.

The new voice guidance system in Maps and Navigator now covers more than 10,000 landmarks across Russia. These include easily recognizable roadside objects such as stores, bus stops, gas stations, and other prominent urban features. The landmarks were additionally verified using street panoramas to ensure that navigation prompts mention only clearly visible objects.

AI helps generate the landmark-based instructions. The system analyzes the route to determine where an additional visual reference would improve navigation clarity and when to deliver the prompt. Yandex Maps and Navigator algorithms then select the most visible and relevant object for each maneuver.

Irina Gracheva,
CEO of Yandex Maps

On complex or unfamiliar routes, a simple “turn right” is often not enough — according to our data, drivers can lose up to 15 minutes after missing a turn in these situations. That is why we are teaching Maps and Navigator to adapt to every trip by taking into account both the driving context and the surrounding environment.

The landmark-based prompts are the latest step in the evolution of voice guidance in Yandex Maps. Earlier AI-powered updates enabled the service to specify the exact street or a road feature where a maneuver should be made. Users can also customize voice guidance for familiar routes — for example, receiving alerts only for major maneuvers such as highway turns, overpass exits, and other important navigation points.

About Yandex Maps

Yandex Maps is a city navigation app that helps users discover places and build routes by car, public transport, bicycle, or on foot. The service also provides live public transport tracking and up-to-date schedules for buses, trams, and trolleybuses. In addition, users can book appointments at beauty salons and complete other everyday tasks directly within the app. Yandex Maps' mobile app and web version are used by 95 million people every month.