Map comments are objects used by editors to annotate the Waze map. They are used as notes, explanations, warnings or reminders for editors and can be made by any editor anywhere, regardless of editable area. They appear as white (originally orange) points and polygons in the Waze Map Editor. They only appear in WME, not in the Waze client app, have no effect on routing and cannot be reported or searched in the Waze app.
Creating a map comment
Hover your cursor over the 
icon in the header bar and select the area or point option. Keep in mind that, while map comments are visible at all zoom levels, small area map comments may not be easily noticed at the lowest zoom levels. The title field is limited to 30 characters, so summarize the map comment's reason for existence in the title. The comment field is limited to 2000 characters, so a full explanation can be given there. Further comments can be made by other editors subsequent to the creation of the map comment, and notification for subsequent comments will be sent to the creator and to anyone who adds to the discussion, similar to how Update Requests work. To set an expiration, fill out both the date and time fields. The map comment will delete itself after the expiration time. It can also be locked as necessary, which will prevent editors of insufficient rank moving or deleting the map comment.
When to use map comments
Map comments should be used for conveying out-of-the-ordinary information about specific areas of the Waze map to editors in order to properly maintain the map. In the past, editors have used road segments or update requests put in from Live Map to make such annotations. These annotations should be replaced by map comments.
| reason | examples |
|---|---|
| Unusual configuration | Intersection configuration, naming, turn instruction overrides, controlling U-turns, other non-obvious hacks |
| Forum discussion | Questions about how to solve routing problems in an area |
| Out-of-date imagery | Permanent closure of roads or places, new roads or places, realignment of roads |
| Temporary information | Construction projects, scheduled reconfigurations, temporary speed limit transitions, other temporary or future traffic changes |
| Missing information | Missing road names, missing house numbers |
The use of map comments should be carefully considered to avoid overuse. Therefore, map comments used for flagging out-of-date imagery and temporary or missing information should be deleted or set to expire when they are no longer necessary (e.g. missing information has been added, or construction has been completed and imagery has been updated to show the change). Removal of map comments should be done either in consultation with original author of the map comment or with the SM/RC.