Over the next few weeks and months, Waze from Google will get certain quality-of-life navigation enhancements added. The new features include the ability to navigate roundabouts, discover parking facilities and find out how much they will cost), and receive notifications when the speed limit is going to drop.
Waze will soon offer information on parking garages in the vicinity by collaborating with the Flash parking app. It can display pricing, wheelchair accessibility options, open-air or covered seating, valet parking, and EV charging stations. According to Waze, parking spots can also be reserved through the app. “In the coming weeks” is when the feature will be released.
The Flash app only averages 1.5 out of 5 stars on the App Store and 2.2 out of 5 on the Play Store. (Many customers complained about its bugginess and unreliable scanning at parking kiosks.) Hopefully, Waze’s integration won’t replicate the apparent rough spots from its new partner’s app.
The Waze app will also let you know when the speed limit is about to drop. After the feature rolls out this month, the navigation screen will show a speed limit sign at the spot in the road where it’s about to slow down, giving you time to prepare. An alert at the screen’s bottom will count down how many feet away the speed reduction is. (The app won’t show when speed limits are about to increase, presumably to avoid encouraging people to punch it and get a head start.)
Waze will soon give you more information about your favorite routes to places you often travel to, like home, work or go-to coffee shops. Starting this month, when you start navigation, the app will compare your favorite routes with the fastest ones. It will use live traffic updates to contrast ETA estimates and help you decide if your favorite pathway is too backed up to be worth it.
Making your way through roundabouts will be easier, too. When you approach a traffic circle, Waze will help you figure out where to enter, which lanes to use and where to exit. The feature arrives on Android this month, but iPhone owners will have to wait until “later this year.”
Building on the app’s community-sourced approach, another new feature will alert you to upcoming hazards. These include sharp curves, speed bumps and toll booths. This “navigate like a local” feature will land on Android and iOS this month.
Finally, Waze now notifies you when emergency vehicles are stopped ahead. When navigating, an emergency icon will sit on the virtual road ahead alongside an alert and countdown (measured in feet) as you approach it. This is the only new feature Waze says is available now (in the US, Canada, France, Mexico and France) on Android and iOS. The feature will support more countries soon.
