- Waze announced a new Conversational Reporting feature last year
- It's now reaching many more users – though not everyone likes it
- The feature enables you to report road incidents using only your voice
A year ago, Waze announced a new Gemini-powered Conversational Reporting feature that would let you report events and incidents with your voice, and it seems it's now rolling out for most users – though not everyone is happy with it.
The idea is that you can share details of road closures, accidents, and other information with your fellow drivers just by talking to your car dashboard. It's easier than trying to tap at buttons on a screen
"All you need to do is tap the reporting button and speak naturally, as if you’re chatting with a friend," the Waze team explains. "Waze will understand what you’re saying and quickly add a real-time report to the map for you."
The AI and Gemini part of the process is recognizing the hazard you're describing, even if you don't use a preset series of words or exactly the right language, and assigning it to the relevant event category without you having to do anything else.
Thanks but no thanks
waze from r/waze/comments/1nti4gr/so_is_it_just_going_to_ask_me_this_every_5_seconds
The feature has been beta tested with a limited number of users over the last 12 months, but as 9to5Google and Android Headlines have spotted, it seems it's now reaching many more users (though there have been no new announcements from Waze).
Early reactions have been mixed to say the least, according to the Waze subreddit. There are several complaints about a nagging pop-up asking to turn the feature on, and users aren't happy with interruptions to their music or podcasts.
Even when it is switched on, it seems Conversational Reporting doesn't always work as advertised and doesn't always correctly identify the incident being reported. Some users are suggesting an app restart might be needed to get everything operating properly.
As it's early days for the feature – the year of beta testing notwithstanding – these initial bugs and issues will hopefully be fixed in the days ahead. In theory it should mean a safer and more convenient user experience, once it's fully up and running.
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