Google has announced it is removing Google Assistant integration from its Waze navigation app for iOS users. The change, detailed by the Waze Communities Team, stems from persistent technical difficulties encountered on Apple's platform.
In a forum post addressing users, the Waze team acknowledged the long-standing problems. "As many of you have likely experienced, this feature has not been working as intended for over a year," the post stated, adding, "we sincerely apologize for the prolonged inconvenience." The team explained that "Rather than simply patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties, we've decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow."
Waze intends to implement an "enhanced voice interaction solution in the near future" as a replacement on iPhones and iPads. Specific details about this upcoming solution were not provided, though the team committed to sharing more information "as we progress."
The announcement emphasized that the change is specific to iOS. "It's important to note that Google Assistant will continue to function seamlessly on Waze for Android, where it has consistently performed reliably," the Waze team confirmed.
While Waze didn't specify the replacement, Google has separately discussed its broader strategy for voice assistance on mobile. In a March blog post, the company detailed plans for "upgrading Google Assistant users on mobile to Gemini, offering a new kind of help only possible with the power of AI." Google indicated that "Over the coming months, we're upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini," adding that later this year, "the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices."
You can download Waze from the App Store at the link below...
Download
In a forum post addressing users, the Waze team acknowledged the long-standing problems. "As many of you have likely experienced, this feature has not been working as intended for over a year," the post stated, adding, "we sincerely apologize for the prolonged inconvenience." The team explained that "Rather than simply patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties, we've decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow."
Waze intends to implement an "enhanced voice interaction solution in the near future" as a replacement on iPhones and iPads. Specific details about this upcoming solution were not provided, though the team committed to sharing more information "as we progress."
The announcement emphasized that the change is specific to iOS. "It's important to note that Google Assistant will continue to function seamlessly on Waze for Android, where it has consistently performed reliably," the Waze team confirmed.
While Waze didn't specify the replacement, Google has separately discussed its broader strategy for voice assistance on mobile. In a March blog post, the company detailed plans for "upgrading Google Assistant users on mobile to Gemini, offering a new kind of help only possible with the power of AI." Google indicated that "Over the coming months, we're upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini," adding that later this year, "the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices."
You can download Waze from the App Store at the link below...
Download