Waze adds smarter routing and a quieter voice mode

Waze is updating its iPhone and Android apps with several new AI-powered features, led by a routing system that learns from your trip history. The company says it will use past journeys to infer navigation preferences and surface those route suggestions before standard ones.

That means drivers who usually favor highways over local streets with frequent stops should start seeing those options first, alongside Waze’s existing traffic-based recommendations.

The app is also adding Gemini-powered voice search for destinations. Users can tap the search voice icon and ask for places in plain language, including requests such as a coffee shop that is open now, parking near Grand Mall, or a nearby gas station with the lowest prices. Waze will return a list of results, and navigation can be started by voice.

Waze is also expanding conversational reporting to cover permanent map changes, including road closures and closed businesses. A spoken report such as “The road is closed here” will be sent to local map editors, who then verify the suggestion and update the map.

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For drivers who want fewer interruptions, Waze is introducing a “less chatty” mode. It reduces the number of voice prompts and keeps them shorter, while still delivering key alerts for hazards, turns, and lane changes.

Finally, Waze has started rolling out AI-powered motorcycle navigation. The company says the feature is designed for routes better suited to two-wheelers, taking into account narrower streets, restrictions, road surfaces, and rider-specific hazards such as:

• potholes
• speed bumps
• raised crosswalks
• shoulder endings
• narrow bridges

That motorcycle mode is not yet launching in the US. It is initially limited to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines.