Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Audio instructions have long been a key feature of navigation apps for a simple reason: drivers don't have to take their eyes off the road to follow a suggested route, as the app speaks the essential information, guiding them to the destination.
Waze comes with multiple voice profiles, letting users choose the configuration that fits them best. However, starting recently, users have been struggling with an unusual bug that causes Waze to use two voices simultaneously.
Judging from the number of users reporting the issue, this unexpected behavior has become more widespread in the last two weeks, though it doesn't look like everybody is affected. I run Waze on my iPhone and CarPlay, and navigation works correctly. The same voice I configured provides guidance when a route is activated.
The error appeared in early November, with someone reporting on the Waze community forums that the application was configured to use Kate as the navigation voice. However, while Kate offers guidance, another voice "repeats or gives extra details to the instructions."
Someone explains in another forum thread that Waze uses two voices for navigation, a man and a woman, again with Kate configured as the voice supposed to offer guidance. "One voice gives the distance, and the other what to do," the user says.
A Waze product expert acknowledged the issue in a reply to the second conversation, explaining that a "bug surfaced yesterday causing this issue." The message was posted on November 7, and users were promised a patch in the next few days. However, the fix has yet to roll out – or, at least, it hasn't gained traction yet – as users continue to report the same problem on their devices.
There's not much you can do to fix the issue yourself right now, but I've seen people disabling audio navigation entirely until the patch lands on their devices. Keeping Waze completely muted means you'll have to look at the screen regularly for next-turn information, so think twice before disabling voice guidance in your car.
Meanwhile, Waze has recently resolved a glitch that caused police reports to disappear from the app. The company confirmed that thumbs up and road closures were also affected by the glitch. A fix has already been released, so everything should now work correctly.
Waze has received several big updates this year, including the addition of new reports. The application can warn of more permanent road features, such as speed bumps and merging lanes. Waze now shows speed limit changes, displaying a notification when you approach the point where you must slow down. These changes are also marked on the map with a speed limit indicator, so if you look at the map regularly, you can anticipate the changes and slow down in advance.
Judging from the number of users reporting the issue, this unexpected behavior has become more widespread in the last two weeks, though it doesn't look like everybody is affected. I run Waze on my iPhone and CarPlay, and navigation works correctly. The same voice I configured provides guidance when a route is activated.
The error appeared in early November, with someone reporting on the Waze community forums that the application was configured to use Kate as the navigation voice. However, while Kate offers guidance, another voice "repeats or gives extra details to the instructions."
Someone explains in another forum thread that Waze uses two voices for navigation, a man and a woman, again with Kate configured as the voice supposed to offer guidance. "One voice gives the distance, and the other what to do," the user says.
A Waze product expert acknowledged the issue in a reply to the second conversation, explaining that a "bug surfaced yesterday causing this issue." The message was posted on November 7, and users were promised a patch in the next few days. However, the fix has yet to roll out – or, at least, it hasn't gained traction yet – as users continue to report the same problem on their devices.
There's not much you can do to fix the issue yourself right now, but I've seen people disabling audio navigation entirely until the patch lands on their devices. Keeping Waze completely muted means you'll have to look at the screen regularly for next-turn information, so think twice before disabling voice guidance in your car.
Meanwhile, Waze has recently resolved a glitch that caused police reports to disappear from the app. The company confirmed that thumbs up and road closures were also affected by the glitch. A fix has already been released, so everything should now work correctly.
Waze has received several big updates this year, including the addition of new reports. The application can warn of more permanent road features, such as speed bumps and merging lanes. Waze now shows speed limit changes, displaying a notification when you approach the point where you must slow down. These changes are also marked on the map with a speed limit indicator, so if you look at the map regularly, you can anticipate the changes and slow down in advance.
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