Like Google Maps, Waze is going all-in on Gemini.
Waze, Google’s other navigation app, is getting a collection of new AI-powered features that make it easier to navigate on a motorcycle and less annoying to receive directions.
The app’s new Motorcycle mode uses AI to consider the specific needs of two-wheeled vehicles, according to Google. Those include specific shortcuts that might only be available to motorcycles and “hazards that are tricky for riders, like potholes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, shoulder endings and narrow bridges.” While using AI might raise some questions about the accuracy of Waze’s motorcycle directions, the app’s insights are at least still powered by a real-time traffic map and a group of human, motorcycle-focused editors who keep things up-to-date with hazards.
Waze is also getting some new personalization features as part of this update. The app will now suggest routes based on previous trips, along with Waze’s normal traffic-focused recommendations. These personalized, suggested routes can be disabled, but Google thinks they might better anticipate your driving preferences. A new “Less Chatty” mode also tweaks how Waze communicates. If you hate constantly being interrupted by your next turn or an upcoming hazard, toggling voice guidance to “Less Chatty” minimizes the app’s voice prompts and focuses them on critical directions and reminders.
Of course if you want to talk to Waze, the app’s growing Gemini integration is making that possible in some new ways. Waze began testing what it calls “Conversational Reporting” in October 2024 as a way to use natural language to report traffic incidents. As of these updates, Conversational Reporting can now also be used to suggest map updates. Via Waze’s voice search, Gemini integration also lets you ask questions like “Find me a gas station nearby with the lowest prices” and receive a page of custom results.
Waze’s personalization features, “Less Chatty” mode and Conversational Reporting are rolling out globally on Android and iOS. Gemini-powered voice searches, meanwhile, are rolling out to Waze’s beta community globally, and Motorcycle Mode is specifically coming online for users in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and the Philippines.
