Waze, owned by Google, announced on Monday the launch of two major updates to the driving experience in Israel and worldwide: personalized navigation and a "less talking" mode. The new features aim to address one of the most common complaints among drivers – excessive voice prompts and route recommendations that do not always match their personal preferences.
According to Waze CEO Gai Berkovich, "The new developments enable a more personalized navigation experience while maintaining essential alerts for safe driving. We are making the everyday driving experience smarter, simpler and more personal."
Waze announced the launch of two major updates
(Photo: shutterstock)
What are the main changes?
Personalized navigation: Instead of offering a standard route based solely on the shortest-path algorithm and current traffic conditions, the app will learn users’ historical driving habits. For example, drivers who consistently prefer highways, even when the route is slightly longer, will receive those routes as their top recommendation. Meanwhile, users who prefer local roads will receive routes tailored to their habits. Control remains with the user, who can choose alternative routes or disable the feature entirely.
"Less talking" mode (Muted/Quiet Mode): A direct response to podcast and music listeners. The mode will significantly reduce the frequency of voice instructions and shorten them, while maintaining only critical alerts such as upcoming turns, road hazards, lane changes and safety warnings.
The updates will gradually become available in the coming days to Waze users on iOS and Android in Israel and worldwide.
The global arena: competing with Apple and Google Maps
While Waze is considered Israel’s dominant everyday driving app, the global navigation market, particularly in North America and Europe, is marked by intense competition with Google Maps and Apple Maps.
In the U.S., Apple Maps has undergone a major upgrade in recent years, adding detailed 3D views and natural-language navigation instructions, such as "turn right at the next traffic light" instead of "turn right in 100 meters." However, Waze’s shift toward personalized routes is aimed at targeting a weakness of both Apple and Google, which often provide generic routes driven mainly by efficiency-based calculations.
In China, the navigation market is almost entirely controlled by local players such as Baidu Maps and Amap (AutoNavi), owned by Alibaba. These apps combine augmented reality (AR) technologies that project driving routes directly onto city streets through smartphone cameras, alongside deep integration of generative AI (GenAI), enabling complex voice conversations with drivers. Waze’s move to reduce voice prompts through its "less talking" feature represents a more minimalist approach compared with the technology-heavy experience that characterizes the Asian market.
According to Waze CEO Gai Berkovich, "The new developments enable a more personalized navigation experience while maintaining essential alerts for safe driving. We are making the everyday driving experience smarter, simpler and more personal."