Waze pulls major reporting tool from iOS app and plans to replace it with Gemini

Waze users know that the directions offered by the app to a specific destination are enhanced by the data shared by the Waze community driving on the same road. Whether it is an accident, a slick road, heavy traffic, police activity, or weather, once the crowd-sourced data is shared Waze might change the route thanks to the new information it is presented with. There are multiple options that Waze users have to report this information.

While most use touch input to report these issues, it is difficult to do while behind the wheel. Waze’s touch input can allow users to tap the on-screen button when spotting a hazard on the road and allow them to wait for a moment when the car is not moving to complete the submission. Another option that Waze users employ to report a hazard is Google Assistant. The digital assistant also was used to quickly arrange for navigation by asking it to navigate to your destination.

The problem is that Google Assistant has never worked perfectly with the iOS version of Waze. This is the reason why Google is removing Google Assistant integration from the iOS version of Waze. Last week, a Waze staff member named Leigh wrote on the Waze discuss website, “We’ve decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS…and replace it with an enhanced voice interaction solution in the near future. As always, we are committed to keeping you informed and will share more details as we progress.”

Waze made it clear that Google Assistant “will continue to function seamlessly on Waze for Android, where it has consistently performed reliably.” While Google has yet to announce the “new voice interaction solution,” Waze will turn to Google’s Gemini AI for conversational reporting of hazards. This will allow Waze users to report issues using a more conversational style that will be less distracting for drivers.

Here’s how this would work. Let’s say you’re driving and spot an accident on the road. You can press the reporting button and say, “So this crash is why traffic is such a nightmare.” This reports two issues with one quick sentence-the accident and the additional traffic causing a slowdown.