Waze is officially removing Google Assistant from its iOS app after more than a year of technical problems.
The company announced that the feature hasn’t been working properly for a long time and will be shut off starting tomorrow. Instead of trying to fix it, Waze says it will focus on building a better voice assistant for iPhone users in the future, dubbed “enhanced voice interaction solution.” That’s according to an announcement on the Waze forums.
There’s speculation this could involve Gemini, given Google’s direction. In the meantime, Waze has been testing an AI-powered “Conversational Reporting” feature since October 2024, allowing select users to report incidents vocally, suggesting a potential interim or future replacement for the lost functionality.
For iPhone users, this means the end of Google Assistant within Waze as of today, leaving them without a fully functional voice assistant option in the app until the promised replacement arrives. Alternatives like Siri Shortcuts exist but are more limited compared to what Google Assistant once offered when it actually worked properly.
Google Assistant will still work on Waze for Android, where it has remained stable.
No timeline has been given yet for the new voice feature coming to iOS. But let’s hope the replacement comes soon and actually works, as Waze reporting helps the community and also users on Google Maps.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
