Waze is a navigation app that can offer voice directions, so you don’t always have to look at the map while driving to make sure you’re on the right route. By default, Waze uses a female voice, but if you don’t like the voice and want to change it, you can. This tutorial shows how to easily change Waze voices – and even use your own – to provide navigation information.
Good to know: add music to your drive by learning how to safely control Spotify from Waze and Google Maps.
How to Change the Voice in Waze
The navigation voice option in the Waze app can be changed to something else by following these steps:
Open Waze on your Android or iPhone, and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner.
Select Settings from the menu.
Tap Voice and sound, then tap on the default voice option under Waze voice.
Browse the voice options by swiping through them. If you speak English natively, you’ll find quite a few options, including some celebrities: comedian Hasan Minhaj, tennis player Roger Federer, and singer Christina Aguilera. In addition, you can pick from a few kooky and amusing options, such as Kung Fu Panda, Alien, Zen Surfer, and Scary Clown. Note that these options vary, as Waze frequently makes new voices available, while removing others.
For those who don’t speak English natively, options are more limited, but there are a couple of alternatives to experiment with for each language. Tap on one of the options to change your directions to a different voice.
Tip: learn how to share your location on WhatsApp.
How to Use Your Own Voice in Waze
If none of these options appeal to you, you can use your own voice on Waze. Or if you have a friend whose voice you find particularly soothing, ask them to record their voice for you in Waze by following these steps:
Open the app on your phone, and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner. Navigate to Settings -> Voice and sound, and tap on Waze voice. Tap on Add a voice at the top of the page.
A pop-up will warn you that your recordings are used to guide you on the road, so you should make sure that they are clear and accurate. Press OK to continue.
You’ll have to record a series of phrases using your own voice. Start with the first by tapping on All set. Let’s go!
Press on the microphone icon to start recording this phrase. Make sure you speak in a clear voice.
Once the recording is done, press the play button to replay the recording and make sure that it’s correct. If you would like to redo it, record the message again by pressing on the microphone icon again and tapping on Save.
Move on to the next one, then record as many phrases as you can. Any phrase that you don’t record will use the default voice. When you’re done with the recordings, press the Done button in the upper-right corner of the display.
Now you will be able to receive directions in Waze spoken by your own or a friend’s voice.
FYI: learn how to save a route on Google Maps.
What to Do If There’s No Voice in Waze
If voice directions are not audible in your Waze app, make sure the option is turned on. Open the app and navigate to Settings -> Voice and sound. At the top, make sure that Sounds is not set to Off or Alerts only.
For the voice directions to be audible, the option needs to be On. Then, create a route and try again to see if you can hear anything.
You can also turn the sound back on from the navigation screen. Tap on the sound icon with a bar across it next to the estimated time of arrival at the bottom.
Select Sound On, then tap OK.
Tip: learn how to drop pins in Google Maps for more accurate directions.
Waze was purchased by Google after gaining popularity. The search giant also owns Google Maps. If you’re curious about other Google Maps alternatives, check out these worthy maps apps. You may also want to expand your knowledge by reading about how to add a stop in Waze if you need to drop someone off en route.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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