Waze Adds Google Gemini AI So You Can Say 'Find Me a Cheap Gas Station' and Actually Get One
Four new features are rolling out to Waze, two of them powered by Google's Gemini AI. Here is what changes for your daily drive.
Key points
- Google is adding Gemini, its AI assistant, to the Waze navigation app for the first time.
- Waze's conversational reporting feature, first introduced in 2024, now uses Gemini so drivers can report road closures and map errors by talking naturally.
- A new Destination Search feature lets drivers ask for nearby places in plain speech, such as "Find me a coffee shop that's open right now".
- Waze is also adding a "less chatty" voice mode and a Motorcycle Mode with two-wheeled route shortcuts.
Waze, the community-driven navigation app owned by Google, is getting its first serious dose of AI. Google is weaving Gemini, its flagship AI assistant, the same technology behind smarter search and conversational replies across Google products, into two of four new features rolling out now.
The bigger addition is Destination Search. Skip the typing: just ask for "a gas station nearby with the lowest prices" or "a coffee shop that's open right now" and Waze finds options. If you have ever fumbled with your phone at a red light, you know why that matters.
The second Gemini feature upgrades conversational reporting, a tool Waze introduced in 2024. Before, you tapped to flag a pothole or a speed camera. Now you describe the problem out loud. Say there is a road closure ahead, or that a house number on the map is wrong, and Gemini handles the back-and-forth and files the report without you touching the screen.
The two non-AI features are solid additions. A "less chatty" mode cuts voice prompts so Waze stops interrupting your podcast. Motorcycle Mode tailors routing for two-wheeled vehicles, using shortcuts a car cannot take and producing more realistic arrival times. Waze will also start surfacing routes based on your past habits: if you always pick the motorway, those options appear first.
Should I update Waze or just switch to Google Maps?
You don't need to switch. Both apps are moving in similar directions, but Waze keeps its community-reporting edge, real drivers flagging real problems in real time. The Verge AI reported that Google has been steadily loading AI capabilities into Google Maps, its flagship navigation product, while Waze lagged behind. These four updates narrow that gap without stripping out what makes Waze useful. It's the right move, just later than it should have been.
A quick privacy note: conversational voice features send your spoken requests to Google's servers for processing. If you'd rather not have driving habits and location data used that way, check Waze's privacy settings before enabling the AI features.
No price change. Waze is still free.
