(Credit: Waze)
The navigation app Waze announced several new features in March 2024 to make driving with its app easier, and users will now get to try them, almost two years later.
In an email sent to Waze users, spotted by 9to5Google, the navigation app outlines five upgrades. The new features include warnings when you’re approaching sharp curves, speed bumps to slow you down, and toll booths.
The app will also give you notifications for sudden speed limit decreases, helping you better predict when you need to slow down. It’s also improving its navigation around roundabouts. It says, “Navigate tricky roundabouts with clear introductions that show you the best lane to choose and where to exit.”
The app is also set to learn your route preferences over time and start to favor them. It’ll still recommend when a route is preferable due to traffic or an accident, but it will know where you like to drive and prioritize that journey if the differences are negligible.
Waze is also introducing emergency vehicle notifications so you can know when to slow down and look out for first responders who may be parked along the road. It says the feature will debut in the US alongside Canada, France, and Mexico, with more countries set to join soon.
These features were first detailed by Waze back in early 2024, with some appearing for select users but not rolling out to everyone. It’s unclear why Waze has taken so long to introduce these to all its users, but it now says they’re set to land in the “coming weeks.” Some users have already been seeing options appear over the last few weeks, so you may already have them.
These features help Waze catch up to Google Maps. PCMag’s Jordan Minor recently put the two apps to the test head-to-head and found Google’s in-house option was the best for most people, with its “accurate directions" and its "wealth of information."