Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
While users expect new features and bug fixes, Waze keeps wasting time on limited-time content updates, including special moods, car icons, and navigation voices.
I'm not saying these updates are awful. They're not, but considering the number of problems within the app and how many users complain about them, Waze should direct more resources to improving the stability and reliability of its navigation software.
The most recent update supposed to customize the driving experience with Waze invites users to get behind the wheel with "the world's only unicorn." It's a collection of a limited-time car icon, a mood, and a navigation voice that you can enable within the app.
Waze says the new experience is available until October 11, at which point your Waze settings will return to the previous configuration.
The pack includes a vehicle called Pony Ride, and you can enable it from the "Car icon" section in settings. Users also receive a unicorn mood and voice for navigation, both of which can be enabled on Android and iPhone from the configuration screen.
Waze typically partners with celebrities or organizations worldwide for these updates, but this time, the company has decided to play solo, so the new theme's goal is to celebrate... unicorns.
Meanwhile, Waze keeps making changes that aren't everybody's cup of tea. The latest app updates ditched a couple of reporting options to simplify the reporting experience. Users can no longer report vehicles stopped on the side of the road, police on the other side, and hidden speed traps. The changes roll out gradually and will eventually land on all devices.
The feedback following the introduction of these changes hasn't been the best, with some users claiming that Waze is pulling options as Google prepares to merge it with Google Maps. This won't be the case, as Waze only tries to make reporting incidents more straightforward by removing the redundant options.
The hidden police report is the perfect example. Users were initially allowed to send three types of police reports – the standard speed trap, a hidden radar, and police on the other side. Waze will continue to offer just a single police report for a more straightforward approach, as it believes drivers should only be warned there's a speed trap ahead, without caring about other details.
Waze users also struggle with occasional bugs that typically take up to several weeks to get patches. Not long ago, Waze broke down the dark mode on CarPlay, making the app dangerous at night because it only used the light mode. The issue was introduced in early August, but users had to wait for a patch until mid-September despite its urgent nature. Everything is working correctly now on CarPlay, with the app switching to the dark mode correctly, aligning with the rest of the CarPlay interface.
The most recent update supposed to customize the driving experience with Waze invites users to get behind the wheel with "the world's only unicorn." It's a collection of a limited-time car icon, a mood, and a navigation voice that you can enable within the app.
Waze says the new experience is available until October 11, at which point your Waze settings will return to the previous configuration.
The pack includes a vehicle called Pony Ride, and you can enable it from the "Car icon" section in settings. Users also receive a unicorn mood and voice for navigation, both of which can be enabled on Android and iPhone from the configuration screen.
Waze typically partners with celebrities or organizations worldwide for these updates, but this time, the company has decided to play solo, so the new theme's goal is to celebrate... unicorns.
Meanwhile, Waze keeps making changes that aren't everybody's cup of tea. The latest app updates ditched a couple of reporting options to simplify the reporting experience. Users can no longer report vehicles stopped on the side of the road, police on the other side, and hidden speed traps. The changes roll out gradually and will eventually land on all devices.
The feedback following the introduction of these changes hasn't been the best, with some users claiming that Waze is pulling options as Google prepares to merge it with Google Maps. This won't be the case, as Waze only tries to make reporting incidents more straightforward by removing the redundant options.
The hidden police report is the perfect example. Users were initially allowed to send three types of police reports – the standard speed trap, a hidden radar, and police on the other side. Waze will continue to offer just a single police report for a more straightforward approach, as it believes drivers should only be warned there's a speed trap ahead, without caring about other details.
Waze users also struggle with occasional bugs that typically take up to several weeks to get patches. Not long ago, Waze broke down the dark mode on CarPlay, making the app dangerous at night because it only used the light mode. The issue was introduced in early August, but users had to wait for a patch until mid-September despite its urgent nature. Everything is working correctly now on CarPlay, with the app switching to the dark mode correctly, aligning with the rest of the CarPlay interface.
Google News