Waze Rolls Out Gemini AI Features Globally — SkimNews
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- Waze is launching AI-powered personalization that suggests routes based on a user's trip history and city traffic patterns (e.g., preferring highways over local streets), rolling out globally now on Android and iOS with an opt-out setting.
- Google's Gemini powers a new conversational search feature letting users ask voice questions like "Find me a coffee shop that's open right now" or "Find me parking close to Grand Mall," rolling out now to the Waze beta community globally on Android and iOS.
- Waze is introducing an AI-driven Motorcycle mode that accounts for two-wheeler shortcuts and road restrictions, surfacing hazards like potholes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, shoulder endings, and narrow bridges — rolling out in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines.
- Waze now lets users report map updates conversationally (e.g., "The road is closed here"), with submissions routed to local map editors — a global rollout now live on Android and iOS.
- Waze added a "less chatty" mode that minimizes voice prompts while still alerting to hazards and turns, rolling out globally now on Android and iOS.
- The integration reflects Google's broader push to embed Gemini across its product lineup and positions Waze to compete more directly with rival navigation services like Apple Maps.
Why it matters: By embedding Gemini into core navigation flows — from route suggestions to hands-free map editing — Waze turns a driving app into an AI assistant interface, deepening Google's reach into daily commutes while giving riders in seven countries their first dedicated two-wheeler routing. The opt-out for personalized routes signals sensitivity to user data preferences even as the company rolls the feature out globally.
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