Waze's Update Adds New Gemini AI Features and Customization Options

Google-owned navigation app Waze announced an update adding five features including Gemini AI tools, a motorcycle mode and a "less chatty" voice option. The company said the motorcycle mode uses artificial intelligence-powered routing to offer specific paths and restrictions for two-wheelers and displays hazards such as raised crosswalks and narrow bridges. The mode also highlights shortcuts for faster trips and is currently live for users in Brazil and Mexico. The "less chatty" mode reduces the frequency of voice prompts while still providing essential warnings about turns and hazards in a more brief form. The app will also learn from previous trips to suggest preferred routes such as highways over street roads, though users can disable the feature in settings. New Gemini AI capabilities allow drivers to use voice commands to report map issues such as closed routes, which alerts local editors to verify changes. Users can also press the voice button to ask for specific places such as an open coffee shop or a gas station with cheap gas. Most of the new features are available in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and the Philippines, with plans to expand to more countries soon.