Waze rolls out new customization features and more Gemini updates

Source: Google Date: 2026-07-13 URL: https://blog.google/waze/waze-updates-gemini-motorcycle-mode/

Summary

Waze product update: six features giving drivers more control, including an AI-driven Motorcycle Mode (routes optimized for two-wheelers, hazard callouts, rolling out in seven countries) and a “Less Chatty” mode. Gemini specifically powers three of the six — conversational map-update reporting (“the road is closed here”), natural-language destination search (“find me a coffee shop that’s open right now”), and the reduced-chatter voice tuning.

Implications

Low signal / noise for the tracked threads — this is consumer-app feature marketing, not a model, tooling, or agentic-infrastructure release. Notable only as one more data point in Google’s pattern of threading Gemini into every consumer product surface (Workspace, Ads, Waze, Search) rather than a standalone AI capability worth tracking.