- This is a collection of boilerplate responses for most typically encountered UR issues. This list started from DwarfLord's and PesachZ's lists and in the process of putting my words in them.
Update Requests with no immediately obvious issue
General Error with no descriptive text
Volunteer responding to your "general error" map-issue report. Waze gives us volunteers very little to go on and we're stumped. What was wrong with the map? Can you provide any detail? Please respond using the Waze app, emails don't work with the reporting system. (Open to any editor)
Wrong Driving Direction with no descriptive text
Volunteer responding to your "wrong driving direction" map-issue report. Waze gives us volunteers very little to go on; we don't even know where you were going! What went wrong with Waze's route? Most importantly, can you tell us your destination as you entered it into Waze? Please respond using the Waze app, emails don't work with the reporting system. (Open to any editor)
Incorrect Junction with no descriptive text
Volunteer responding to your "incorrect junction" map-issue report. Waze gives us volunteers very little to go on. What junction was incorrect? What was incorrect about it? Please respond using the Waze app, emails don't work with the reporting system. (Open to any editor)
Turn Not Allowed with no descriptive text
Volunteer responding to your "turn not allowed" map-issue report. Waze gives us volunteers very little to go on. What turn was not allowed? At what intersection? Please respond using the Waze app, emails don't work with the reporting system. (Open to any editor)
Likely cause identified, give reporter opportunity to clarify
The "Waze 180"
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. When you ask for a route immediately after waking up Waze, it has to guess what direction you are pointed. If it guesses wrong, it may give you an awkward route to avoid any illegal U-turns (I call this the "Waze 180"). When Waze offers you a route that starts off the wrong way, please drive a little in the direction you are pointed and then ask for the route again; or, keep driving and let Waze recalculate. This gives Waze a chance to know which way you are pointed and offer you a more suitable route. If you are sure this was not the problem, please respond using the Waze app (emails don't work with the reporting system) otherwise we'll close out this report in a few days. Cheers! (Open to any editor)
Doesn't know I've arrived / going around the block
Volunteer responding to your report that Waze didn't realize you'd arrived at your destination. It's possible Waze's location "pin" for your destination isn't sufficiently precise. What exactly did you enter as a navigation target? We can see if its position can be improved. Cheers! (Open to any editor)
Routing back the way driver came
Volunteer responding to your report. The little bit of data Waze gave us suggests that it was trying to take you back the way you came, but you continued forward. This can happen when Waze has a badly incorrect position for your destination; or, if there was a mistake entering the destination; or, if Waze isn't aware of your current destination and is still trying to take you to an old destination. Waze doesn't give us much else to go on, we don't even know what your destination was! Where did you ask Waze to take you? (Open to any editor)
Bogus missing road, exit, and bridge overpass reports
Volunteer responding to your report of something missing from the map. The drivable roads in this area have been pretty thoroughly mapped and we can't see anything missing that should be there. Now, the Waze app does "hide" roads from its display while you are driving so as to avoid cluttering the screen. This behavior can be confusing, especially if you're not following a Waze route but rather attempting to drive based on the map image alone. If you are certain something is missing from the map, please respond using the Waze app (emails don't work with the reporting system) and provide details! Otherwise we'll close out this report in a few days. Cheers! (Open to any editor)
Failed route due to short-term closure?
Volunteer responding to your report that you couldn't follow Waze's route. As far as we can tell these roads and turns are normally open. Was a road closed? Do you know how long the closure will last? If it is only for a few days or less, we volunteer map editors can't be much help. It takes at least that long for our edits to make it to handheld devices! The best way to report short-term road closures is with the Report->Closure feature in the Waze app (you used Report->Map issue to file this report). If this is a long-term closure please respond using the app (emails don't work with the reporting system) and let us know as much as you can. Otherwise we'll close out this report. Cheers! (Open to any editor)
Volunteer responding to your map-issue report in which you described the problem as an address. Did you mean to enter the address as a navigation destination? If there is a problem with the address please respond using the Waze app (emails don't work with the reporting system) and explain what went wrong. Otherwise we'll assume this was an accident and close out this report in a few days. Cheers! (Open to any editor)
Lapsed conversations with other editor(s)
Unanswered reporter?
Another volunteer here. The reporter appears to have provided enough information to investigate this map issue. Any progress?
Looks like "not identified"?
Another volunteer editor here. Any progress on this map issue? If not, is it time to close it as "not identified"? To the reporter: please feel welcome to report a map issue again if the problem recurs.
Looks like "solved"?
Another volunteer editor here. It appears this map issue has been addressed. Is it time to close it as "solved"? Cheers!
Google pins
Google pin (easy)
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. The problem was caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets most of its address locations from Google). We asked Google to fix its database and they accepted. Please allow at least two days for the fix to go live. Then -- and this is critical! -- please remove all instances of this destination from your Waze app's recents and/or favorites lists! This will delete the inaccurate position data from the app. The next time you navigate to the destination, Waze will automatically find the updated position. Cheers!
Google pin (difficult)
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. The problem is caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets most of its address locations from Google). We have asked Google to fix its database but we have no control over how fast Google will respond. It is usually days, but it can be weeks or even months. We'll leave this report open in the meantime. Cheers!
Google FAIL, how to use Waze
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. The problem is caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets most of its destination locations from Google). In this case, unfortunately, we cannot persuade Google to change its database (this often happens with large areas such as parks and airports, or with high-profile locations). You can however use the Waze database to reach the destination. First -- and this is critical! -- remove any instances of the destination from your Waze app's recents and/or favorites lists. Then look up your destination again, BUT DO NOT SELECT ANY OF THE IMMEDIATELY-OFFERED ITEMS, EVEN IF YOU SEE A PERFECT MATCH! Instead, scroll to the bottom of the menu and select "More results for...". You will be given the opportunity to choose a search engine under "Other search engines". Choose Waze and then select your destination. This is cumbersome and we volunteers don't like it any more than you do, but it works, and once the correct information is in your recents and/or favorites lists you should not need to repeat the process. Cheers!
Closing alerts
No response, closure imminent
Hi, we haven't heard back regarding our last question on the map issue you reported. In a few days we'll close the report. Cheers!
No response, closing now (unnecessary if imminent-closure already sent)
Hi, we haven't heard back regarding our last question on the map issue you reported and will close this report. Please feel welcome to report problems with the map in the future. Cheers!
Fixed
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. Thanks to your report we've found and fixed a problem with the map. The fix should reach handheld devices within a week, but on rare occasions it can take longer. Cheers!
Bogus GPS
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. It looks like your GPS position information was awfully inaccurate. Bad GPS can cause all sorts of problems. Waze may think you are on some other road and give you bogus directions to get you back to the road you're already on. There's nothing we volunteer map editors can do about this, but in the future, please try ensuring that your handheld device has as clear a view of the sky as possible so it will get the most accuracy out of the GPS satellite signals. Even this may not be enough in deep valleys, thick forests, or urban canyons, but it will help. Cheers!
Reporting traffic lights
Volunteer responding to your report regarding traffic and/or metering lights. Thanks, but Waze does not track the presence, behavior, or repair status of lights. Instead, it tracks the average speed with which Wazers transit the road segment in question. These averages will include any time Wazers spend waiting for lights. That is, the presence and operation of any lights on the route are already implicit in Waze's average-speed information and need not be handled explicitly. So there's no need to report light situations (and we have no way to enter that information anyway!). Cheers!
Still tracking stale route
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue. It looks like you departed from Waze's recommended route and instead followed a path that happened to parallel the recommended route. Under these circumstances, Waze can't be sure if you really left its route or if your GPS position data are just a little off. GPS data are never perfect, so Waze assumed the GPS was to blame and continued to give you driving instructions for its original route; it's no wonder the instructions didn't make sense. Sorry to say there's nothing we volunteer map editors can do about this, I wish we could be more help. Cheers!
Stale or bogus traffic indications/routing
Volunteer responding to your report of a map issue involving wrong traffic indications. We volunteers don't have access to the traffic history and have no way to figure out what happened here that led to your report. Typical causes include: (1) Waze may not have data on fresh accidents or slowdowns from other Wazers and may route you into them simply because it doesn't know yet; (2) after Waze has detected traffic, it can remember it for awhile, sometimes well after the situation changes; (3) Waze may route you into traffic to avoid a temporary closure flagged by other Wazers; and (4) sometimes slow-moving Wazers can confuse Waze into incorrectly detecting heavy traffic (this is why one should never run Waze while walking or biking along roads). Without access to the traffic history all we can do is speculate. I wish we could be more help!
Waited forever to make Waze's recommended left turn
Volunteer responding. Sorry to hear of your experience. I would hate it too if Waze asked me to make a left turn through heavy traffic! Unfortunately there's nothing we volunteer map editors can do. If we disable the left turn, then others who want that route during off-peak hours will complain. The good news is that, if you did follow Waze's directions, your long wait did not go unnoticed; Waze keeps track of how long it takes to make a turn. Once a number of Wazers have completed a turn at different times of day, Waze gets an idea of how slow that turn is and may then avoid it during peak traffic times. Unfortunately we volunteers have no manual tools to tweak or accelerate this process. I wish we could be more help!
Legal route but dangerous or impossible in heavy traffic
Volunteer responding. Sorry to hear of your experience! The volunteer editing community has wrestled with this issue many times, and every time we conclude that the Waze map must support legally-possible routes, even if some are dangerous or impossible in heavy traffic. As drivers ourselves we know how frustrating this is. But Waze, like other navigation apps, can't monitor or account for how hard it may be to change lanes at any given time. We could prohibit maneuvers that may be difficult in traffic, but drivers would complain when Waze avoided those routes at other times. We sure hate this when it happens to us, and wish we could do something about it, but there's no good solution to this problem. Cheers!
Unexplained detour
Volunteer responding. I can't find anything in the map to explain the apparent detour Waze gave you. Traffic, a daily pattern of traffic, a temporary road closure, a bicyclist or very slow vehicle inappropriately using Waze, or just a slow stoplight that routinely backs up cars can all cause Waze to suggest surprising alternatives. Sometimes Waze may recommend a detour even after traffic has cleared up, because it doesn't know yet. Also, if Waze hasn't yet collected enough data in the area, it may overestimate the speeds of side roads, turns, and U-turns. It definitely does help for drivers to try Waze's suggestions, as it gives Waze more speed data on those alternate routes. At any rate we'll close this report as the map itself appears to be OK. Cheers!
Unexplained NON-detour
Volunteer responding. Waze is indeed aware of the alternate route to bypass traffic. It routed you on a more typical path at that time because it thought, at that moment, that it would be faster to go that way. We volunteer map editors can't do anything about Waze's traffic detection and routing algorithms, but we have checked that the map itself does look OK. Cheers!
Pronunciation
Volunteer responding to your report of poor pronunciation by Waze text-to-speech (TTS). Unfortunately even the most senior volunteers have little influence on the TTS system, and none of us can alter how any one street name is pronounced. I understand the frustration and I sympathize. Sorry not to be more help. Cheers!
No hablo muy bien el Español
Lo siento, estamos voluntarios solamente para mantener las mapas. No hablamos muy bien el Español y no podemos ayudar con el aplicación.
(Regrets, we are volunteers only for maintaining the maps. We don't speak Spanish well and we can't help with the application.)
NO THRU TRAFFIC
Volunteer responding. Confusingly, the "private road" Waze type does not mean it is a private road. It is just a flag that Waze should prohibit thru traffic. This is indeed a public road, but legally-valid street signs mark it NO THRU TRAFFIC. For better or worse Waze, like most folks, "can't fight city hall" and must respect these signs. The good news is that, if you choose to drive on this street, Waze will automatically recalculate your route without complaint. Cheers!
Possible routing bug
Volunteer responding. The snippet of data Waze provided us along with your report does suggest inexplicable routing. I've checked everywhere I can think of and unfortunately I can't find anything wrong with the map. But, Waze is currently working on an issue with speed detection for different turns out of an intersection. In rare instances this issue can lead Waze to suggest non-ideal routes, usually involving one or more U-turns or loops. We volunteers have no way to know if your experience resulted from this issue, but as there's nothing I can find on the map I'll close this report as "not identified". I sure wish I could be more help but that's what's going on.
We can't do U-turns
Volunteer responding to the map issue you reported involving U-turns. Unfortunately Waze is incapable of routing U-turns except on divided highways. As a workaround in extreme cases, we volunteers can "hack" a section of divided highway into the map to fool Waze. But Waze tells us they are working on U-turn capability, and when they get it working we'll have to come back and undo the hacks, so we don't use them often. I recommend, when you see odd routing instead of a simple U-turn, that you ignore Waze and drive the way you know. We volunteers are drivers too and believe me, lack of U-turn capability frustrates us like mad! I sure wish I could be more help. Cheers!
We can't do "continue straight" (usually a followup response)
That behavior has happened to me too and I agree it is disconcerting. Unfortunately at this time the Waze app has no ability to provide a "continue straight" instruction. We can often persuade it to say keep left or keep right, but we can't make it say keep going. In this situation, where all you needed to do was continue straight ahead with no turns, I'm afraid I don't see any way to improve the driving instructions. Waze continues to work on their app and their routing engine and it's very possible they will support a "continue on" instruction in the future, but for now we volunteer editors can't improve situations like this. Sorry not to be more help!