Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and Waze is no exception. The Google-owned maps app officially introduced what it called ‘Conversational Reporting’ in 2025, which is a rather handy AI feature. Google, seeing the lack of angry mobs at their gates, took that as a sign to cram in as much artificial intelligence as it could.
Today, the maps app announced five new updates, all of which are landing at once. More annoying, they actually appear just as helpful as the first. One of those is an expansion to Conversational Reporting — now allowing drivers to suggest map updates using conversational language. Google Gemini should get the gist of the request.
Sons of Anarchy Google
Easily the biggest update of the bunch is the new motorcycle mode. Using artificial intelligence, the app can single out one of the motorcycle’s greatest strengths — having access to narrower roads, and adjust its mapping accordingly. It’ll even go out of its way to highlight potholes, speedbumps, raised crosswalks, and narrow bridges.
It’s doing that the same way Waze does everything: getting its users to do it for you. Using data gathered by other drivers, a “dedicated group of motorcycle map editors” will constantly keep the maps updated for motorcycle drivers. It’s currently only available in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines for both Android and iOS. Waze reckons more countries will be added in the future. Fingers crossed for SA.
Those drivers surrounded by four walls of steel and aluminium can look forward to Waze getting smarter over time. If, for instance, a driver tends to choose the back roads rather than the highway, it’ll offer personalised routes to match. Or, you can simply turn the feature off and get there as fast as possible.
Another big change — Google is making Waze less chatty. But only if you want it to stop interrupting your jams quite as often. Just dig into the settings, and Waze will keep the talking to a minimum. “You’ll still get critical reminders about hazards, turns and lane changes,” but not nearly as frequently.
Those features South Africa will have access to, with Waze confirming global availability starting today for Android and iOS. The last feature, however, will require you to be part of Waze’s beta community. Doing so will enable you to perform conversational searches, asking questions like “Find me a coffee shop that’s open right now,” or “Find me a gas station nearby with the lowest prices.” How good it’ll be remains to be seen.
