Waze Gets a ‘Less Chatty’ Update, Personalized Routes
Waze, Google’s other navigation app, has announced a batch of updates this week that will make it “less chatty,” encourage drivers to talk more and personalize your most frequently driven routes. In select markets, motorcycle riders will see bespoke pathfinding specific to two-wheeled travel, and (like all things Google these days) it’s all underpinned by a Gemini-powered artificial intelligence update that also aims to improve voice destination search and map reporting. Acquired in 2013, Waze exists alongside Google Maps, sharing Google’s underlying map data and increasingly cross-pollinating features. Both, for example, feature increasing levels of Gemini integration. However, driving-focused Waze lacks Maps’ transit and walking modes. Overlap like this is usually a one-way ticket to the Google Graveyard, but Waze distinguishes itself from its step-sibling by focusing on crowdsourced, real-time reports (like accidents, speed traps, road hazards and fuel prices), rather than just aggregated traffic data. This makes Waze an interesting alternative for drivers who value the human-reported detail that Google Maps typically doesn’t surface. Less chatty navigation All that extra detail can get a …

