It might seem odd that Google owns both Google Maps and Waze, which are both navigational apps. However, they both serve slightly different purposes. Waze seems mostly aimed at users who are driving. Plus, it comes with pretty neat reporting tools that lets other Waze users know about accidents, police roadblocks, and more. Now, Waze has started to roll out its Conversational Reporting feature.
Waze rolls out Conversational Reporting
This isn’t a new feature per se. Back in 2024, Google announced a new Conversational Reporting feature coming to Waze. However, back then, the feature was only available in beta. Now, according to users on Reddit, Waze has officially started a broader rollout of the feature.
So, what makes this so different from the regular reporting function? The tool lets drivers report road hazards using natural voice commands powered by Google’s Gemini AI. This means that instead of memorizing specific commands or navigating complex menus, drivers simply tap the reporting button and speak naturally. They can say things like, “Looks like there are cars jammed up ahead!” Waze then converts this into an accurate hazard report on the map in real time.
In a way, this is safer since it means that drivers can focus more on the road and less fiddling around the app, going through menus, and tapping buttons. Plus, it also allows users to provide more context.
Still a little buggy
That being said, there are some issues that some users aren’t too happy with. For instance, Waze seems to be pretty aggressive with the promotion of the new feature. Users are reporting that the popup to try the feature out is appearing too frequently. It only really goes away after users turn it on.
Secondly, there is a bug that causes media playback to stop and not restart after using the feature. If you’re someone that loves to jam along to tunes while driving, we can see how this might be pretty frustrating. It’s odd that Google did not catch these bugs, especially since the feature has been in beta for about a year. Hopefully, now that it’s out there, the company will issue a fix for it soon.
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