Waze lets you use Boy George's voice for Pride Month

If you've been looking through the voices you can use for navigation on Waze, then you might notice that Boy George has appeared as an option on the app for Pride Month. Aside from having the music and fashion icon help you navigate through traffic, Waze said he would "impart words of wisdom, like reminding you that life is about learning to be yourself." 

You can also get the full Boy George experience with a choice of four moods or two cars. Plus, Boy George curated a special Pride playlist that you can stream through the Waze Audio Player. Each track he picked was selected to "celebrate acceptance, freedom of expression, and love," and they were selected following his golden rule: "Listen to the music you love; passion always eclipses what's fashionable."

Source: Waze

The City of Calgary and Waze partner for Cities Data Program

The City of Calgary has just announced a two-way, data-sharing partnership with Waze for publicly available traffic information. Waze's Cities Data program aims to create "greater efficiency, deeper insights, and safer roads."

Calgary's Traffic Management Centre (TMC) can use tools like Waze to improve traffic flow and let citizens know about traffic impacts, road closures, and construction quickly.

Click to read more ...

You can now listen to Audible on Waze

Waze is making it easier for you to catch up on your audiobooks as the navigation app welcomes Audible into its Audio Player Program. This means you get easy access to Audible's vast array of Audible Originals, audiobooks, podcasts, and other audio programs through Waze. Of course, you'll need to be an Audible member to use the feature.

To access the feature, open the Waze app and then tap on the music note icon. From there, select Audible as your audio player. If you're within the Audible app, you will also receive next turn directions from Waze. This integration has already begun rolling out.

Waze's Snow Alert helps you avoid unplowed roads

While this isn't a new feature, it's definitely a useful one as snow has started to descend in the Greater Toronto Area. Waze's Snow Warning feature lets you know if roads are coming up haven't been plowed. Since Waze relies on crowdsourcing, you can also report in real-time if you spot a road that hasn't been plowed. As expected, Waze Canada notes that reports of unplowed roads peaked around days with the most snowfall. 

"The trips Canadians make this winter will be to pick up essentials as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mike Wilson, Waze's Canada country manager. "We want to make sure these trips are as smooth as possible so people can focus on navigating safely to their destinations. Knowing which roads have been plowed—and flagging unplowed roads for others—can help drivers avoid difficult driving conditions and provide some extra peace of mind."