Waze adds Gemini-powered conversational navigation and Motorcycle mode

Waze, the Google-owned navigation app, is rolling out AI-powered features to stay competitive with Apple Maps.

The core tension is between adding smart capabilities and preserving a distraction-free driving experience.

Waze is integrating Google‘s Gemini assistant for conversational search—users can ask for “a coffee shop open now” or “parking near Grand Mall” and get live results.

At the same time, the app introduces a “less chatty” mode that cuts non-critical voice prompts, acknowledging that not every driver wants constant AI chatter.