Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google has many things to fix in Waze, but before the company takes care of all these urgent problems, it wants drivers to enjoy a zen energy behind the wheel. After all, traffic is already horrible, so why not deal with it in a more relaxed way?
The search giant reminds users that its partnership with the meditation app Headspace continues, so users can enable special moods, a car icon, and a new navigation voice from settings before they hit the road.
Users can choose from five moods called Aware, Bright, Hopeful, Joyful, and Open to express how they feel when they run Waze. The moods can be seen by other Wazers on the road, as this is how you appear on the map when running the app.
The partnership with Headspace also includes navigation instructions from the company's Director of Meditation, Eve Lewis Prieto. The turn-by-turn navigation will be calmer and more relaxed, so you should be able to deal with traffic along the route easier. The update also includes a hot air balloon icon to replace how your car is displayed on the map – this is only available for you, so nobody else running Waze can see your settings.
Waze's partnership with Headspace launched in October 2021 when the two companies joined forces for this navigation app update ahead of World Mental Health Day.
Meanwhile, Waze is also giving the finishing touches to one of the biggest updates it has received in recent years.
The company announced in April that Waze would be getting new alerts for sharp curves and speed bumps, alongside improved roundabout navigation. Waze will also start warning about the upcoming speed limit changes, giving drivers more time to slow down, especially when changing roads. If you exit a highway, you should see a warning in Waze that the speed limit is about to change.
Waze has also partnered with emergency services in several regions, including France and the United States, to issue notifications when drivers approach an ambulance or a firetruck. The company has already promised to expand the same feature to more locations worldwide using the Waze for City program.
The Google-owned company should start the rollout of all these features any day now, as it originally planned to enable them for the first users by the end of April.
If you want to enable the new Headspace experience, launch the app and tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the screen on your mobile device. You should see a banner at the bottom of the screen that lets you try out the new car icon and voice navigation. You can revert the changes from the settings screen if you want to return to your previous configuration.
Users can choose from five moods called Aware, Bright, Hopeful, Joyful, and Open to express how they feel when they run Waze. The moods can be seen by other Wazers on the road, as this is how you appear on the map when running the app.
The partnership with Headspace also includes navigation instructions from the company's Director of Meditation, Eve Lewis Prieto. The turn-by-turn navigation will be calmer and more relaxed, so you should be able to deal with traffic along the route easier. The update also includes a hot air balloon icon to replace how your car is displayed on the map – this is only available for you, so nobody else running Waze can see your settings.
Waze's partnership with Headspace launched in October 2021 when the two companies joined forces for this navigation app update ahead of World Mental Health Day.
Meanwhile, Waze is also giving the finishing touches to one of the biggest updates it has received in recent years.
The company announced in April that Waze would be getting new alerts for sharp curves and speed bumps, alongside improved roundabout navigation. Waze will also start warning about the upcoming speed limit changes, giving drivers more time to slow down, especially when changing roads. If you exit a highway, you should see a warning in Waze that the speed limit is about to change.
Waze has also partnered with emergency services in several regions, including France and the United States, to issue notifications when drivers approach an ambulance or a firetruck. The company has already promised to expand the same feature to more locations worldwide using the Waze for City program.
The Google-owned company should start the rollout of all these features any day now, as it originally planned to enable them for the first users by the end of April.
If you want to enable the new Headspace experience, launch the app and tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the screen on your mobile device. You should see a banner at the bottom of the screen that lets you try out the new car icon and voice navigation. You can revert the changes from the settings screen if you want to return to your previous configuration.
The @Headspace experience on @Waze will keep you centered with a voice, vehicle and Mood to help you find joy in your drive. Activate now → https://t.co/8X2JyL6KY1 pic.twitter.com/XU80l7qOHM
— Google (@Google) May 6, 2024
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