Why it matters to you
Don’t stand for the robotic voices of navigation apps. Record yourself giving those instructions instead with Waze.
Who better to take directions from than … well, you? If you have difficulty trusting a robotic voice when it comes to navigating your way about town, Waze has good news for you. Thanks to a new update to the Google-owned navigation app, you can now replace that droning computerized voice with that of your own melodious cadences. So go ahead — record yourself giving yourself instructions. You might enjoy it.
Of course, Waze is no stranger to bringing varied voices to its app. T-Pain and Mr. T have both lent their voices to the cause, as Waze continues to make its navigation services more of a social, trendy experience. But as much fun as it may be to have T-Pain’s autotuned voice tell you to make a left at the next stoplight, there may be something satisfying about hearing your own voice in such an authoritative manner. After all, aren’t we all looking for some omnipotence somewhere in our lives?
To take advantage of the new feature, head over to your Waze app and find the settings panel. Then, navigate to “Sound and Voice,” and start recording basic navigation phrases. Because you’re in charge of the recording, you can have just about anyone serve as your voice of choice. That said, if you want your significant other telling you what to do, or your kids, or your friendly neighbor, those are all viable options, too. Keep in mind though that when you create a custom voice, you won’t be able to get full street name prompts as you would with a built-in voice, but that’s a small price to pay.
So if you’re looking to add some fun to your morning commute or your upcoming road trip, this may just be the Waze update you’ve been waiting for.