Waze Adds Personalized Routes, Motorcycle Mode, More

Google continues to develop two separate navigation apps, Maps and Waze, and the latter is receiving a new motorcycle mode, personalized routes, and some Gemini updates. The new motorcycle mode, however, is rolling out first in select countries including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines.

“Our new motorcycle mode uses AI to incorporate two-wheeler shortcuts and restrictions, helping you find the best route and get an accurate ETA,” the Waze team explained today. “It also shows hazards that are tricky for riders, like potholes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, shoulder endings and narrow bridges. All of this is powered by Waze’s real-time traffic information and a dedicated group of motorcycle map editors who are constantly adding new hazards to the map.”

All Waze users can also enable Personalized navigation in the app, which will recommend specific routes based on previous trips, all while taking real-time traffic into account. When enabled, personalized routes may suggest highways over local streets or vice versa depending on your driving habits.

The voice guidance in Waze is also getting a “less chatty” option that will minimize the number of alerts about hazards, turns, and lane changes, and make them shorter. The existing Conversational Reporting feature, which uses Gemini under the hood to report traffic incidents, can also now be used to report road updates conversationally.

While Google has been far more aggressive at integrating its Gemini chatbot into Google Maps, the Waze team is treading more carefully. Waze beta testers can now test looking for destinations using Gemini. The beta feature works by tapping the search voice icon, which initiates a conversational experience to find a route to a specific destination.