Waze just dropped five updates at once, and if you have ever had the app blurt out a voice prompt right when your favorite lyrics drop-kicked in, one of them is going to make your day (and make you wonder why it took so long).
Less Chatty mode, in my opinion, is the one people will talk about most, and the irony is not lost on me. When enabled, it cuts down the frequency and length of voice prompts so you can focus on whatever is playing.
So what exactly is new in Waze today?
However, critical alerts for turns, lane changes, and hazards still come through from a safety standpoint, just with less noise in between. The feature is rolling out globally now on Android and iOS.
Alongside it, Waze is launching personalized navigation for adjusting route suggestions based on your driving history. If you generally prefer highways over surface streets, Waze will figure that out on its own rather than waiting for you to keep overriding its suggestions, and recommend highways instead. This one is also live globally now.
On the Gemini side, Conversational Reporting also gets an expansion. You can now use it to suggest map updates beyond traffic incidents, so saying “the road is closed here” will flag it for map editors to verify.
Is motorcycle mode the most underrated feature of the bunch?
Destination search also gets a Gemini upgrade. It now lets you ask things like “find me a gas station with the lowest prices nearby” and navigate directly from the results. However, the feature is currently in beta.
Last but not least, the Motorcycle mode uses AI routing to account for two-wheeler-specific paths and restrictions. It also flags hazards such as potholes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and narrow bridges.
For now, the feature is live in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines, with more countries confirmed on the way.
