This FAQ should be read together with the other FAQs listed below to ensure you have an understanding for all the most common questions. Knowing this information also helps prevent some of the most common mistakes. This FAQ is maintained by the user community.
- Waze FAQ - Maintained by Waze management team with overview questions
- Forum FAQ - provides information on how to best use the forums
- The glossary explains words and phrases which are often used with special meanings.
What are those dots on some of the roads?
These are roads that have not been confirmed by being driven over since either being imported from another mapping source, or since being created in the map editor. It is more likely that the road layout or junctions are incorrect so treat them with caution. When you drive over such roads your Waze icon changes to a Pacman-type character and "munches the dots". This earns you points and confirms the road as valid. These roads are also known as Pacman-roads.
What is Waze Map Editor?
Waze Map Editor is the official name of the current, web-based map editor. It is often abbreviated WME. You can access WME:
NOTE - Make sure to select WORLD / USA from the top of the menu on the right side
What is Cartouche?
Cartouche is the name of the previous map editor. As of November 5, 2012, it has been discontinued worldwide. The new Waze Map Editor is now the primary map editing tool.
What is Papyrus?
Papyrus is the internal code name used for Waze Map Editor (WME) prior to beta release in January 2012. The use of 'Papyrus' is discouraged in favor of Waze Map Editor or WME.
What is Dashboard?
Dashboard is the name of your personal information console. You can find various information about your Waze account here, including most recent driven routes. You can access it through: http://www.waze.com/dashboard
What are My Drives?
Drives are journeys that you have driven with the Waze client running. While you drive Waze monitors your journey (recording details like location, time & speed) and transfers this information to the servers. This data is used to validate the existing mapping (roads, turns etc) and to learn average journey times. Other Waze users and Area Managers can also view the anonymous GPS tracks of many users when editing the map in the Waze Map Editor. This helps with map accuracy.
When do my Drives show up in the Waze Map Editor?
Drives are typically processed and available for viewing in the Waze Map Editor with an hour of completing the drive. For most short drives such as commutes to work and back under 50km or so, you will likely find them in the editor in under 15 minutes. If the servers are bogged down, or if your drive is significantly longer, such as 150km+, drives may take up to a week to appear. If you don't see your drive after seven (7) days, open a ticket from the Support page, Quick Help box. Use the Email link and fill out the form and submit.
What happens when I drive on an unknown (unmapped) road?
If you simply drive on an unknown road, Waze simply records your route information as usual, but will not create them with as new roads in the Editor, Livemap or the app. When viewing a Drive in the Waze Map Editor, you can look for sections of your drive which are colored red. These indicate an area your phone reported you driving which Waze was not able to associate to an existing road. If this road should exist here, you can select the red section of the route and create a new segment from it.
You can help to build the maps by adding unknown roads. Simply switch on road building mode in your Waze client and it will record the route as a series of new road segments adding junctions (also known as nodes) where it detects your turns. When Waze detects that you are back on a known road, road building mode is automatically paused.
Please turn off road building mode when it is not needed as it can lead to duplicate roads being recorded due to the existing maps being slightly inaccurate or due to GPS errors on your client. Remember that the Waze client is dependent on having a good GPS fix for accurate recording. Also the Waze client might falsely record new roads if it hasn't been able to download the map tiles for your location due to poor cellular phone coverage etc.
When recording new roads, wait until the road turns red on your client before turning off road building mode otherwise the final segment is not recorded. This behaviour is useful if you forgot to turn it off earlier and have accidentally started to record a road in error.
Updates of the map are made based on your recording, but you have to wait at least 24-48h before changes show up.
I recorded new roads in the client - what now?
Your newly recorded roads will not appear in Livemap until they have been edited in the Waze Map Editor. WME will show unknown roads in red, however Livemap will only show small arrows if you zoom right in to indicate that it knows of an street/road with no name. The editing updates will need to be done by either you or the appropriate Area Manager, or another user who has also driven close to this road previously.
When the paved road shows up in the Waze Map Editor depends on the drive processing time, which is covered in the When do my Drives show up in the Waze Map Editor? answer above.
Please log into the Waze Map Editor and edit the details of the road you recorded. You must set the road category, its name, city and directionality. You must also ensure it is properly connected to other roads to allow Waze to use it correctly for routing.
It is planned to implement functionality in the Waze servers to countdown from the road creation so that they disappear from WME unless they have been edited (something like 30 days) to prevent roads incorrectly recorded from remaining on the Livemap.
When do my roads show up in the Livemap?
When do my edits show up in the Waze app?
The normal process, is that on a regular basis, the map tiles update process runs on the servers. When it starts, any edits which are complete by that time will be included in the current map update cycle. The map tile updating process can take several days or even weeks on the World server, and are currently happening approximately daily on the North American server. Depending on when you save the edit, on the North America server, it will appear in 1 or 2 days.
Once the map update cycle is complete, the tiles are loaded into the client map and the live map. The date that the update process is complete is referred to as the Update Date, though this can be confusing because the edits which made it into that cycle may be weeks old. The http://status.waze.com website is usually updated with the latest map update cycle information, which includes the "with updates through x date" information.
Tiles on the app are cached, and only refreshed when one of the following conditions is met:
- You are showing a specific location on the map from the address search.
- You are navigating to or through the tile.
- The tile is over one week old.
- You use the manual option to Refresh map of my area under Settings >> Advanced >> Data Transfer
Note that the Waze app tends to get the updated tiles before the Livemap on the website.
From the Waze website you can look at the Livemap and at the lower left of the screen below the map you will see the last update of that map information.
What web browser do you recommend for editing roads?
Waze recommends using the Google Chrome browser or Google Chrome Frame plugin with Internet Explorer for map editing in Waze Map Editor (WME).
Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is limited and some editing functions may not work properly.
The following browsers are acceptable for use with Waze Map Editor:
Why do I get to see traffic reports hundreds of miles away in the client?
The traffic reports on the client show traffic alerts and user-posted hazards within the Event Radius you have set in the Waze app. This event radius includes your route if you are in navigation mode. Waze only actively shows you the traffic reports within a certain radius of your location (using a pop-up). At this time, the minimum distance from your location or route for alerts is 5mi/km.
You may also receive alerts from other users in your chosen "groups." This feature can be toggled off in the app under Settings -> Social Networks -> Groups.
How do I turn off the pop-up reports when not moving?
There is no setting to just turn off the reports which pop-up when not moving. See answer above on how to minimize the report count.
To turn off these popups, you need to turn off the "Download traffic data" Advanced option.
BE WARNED: This also turns off all speed data which shows the speed of roads around you (colored roads), but does not prevent Waze from rerouting you when the traffic slows down.
What is a locked road?
A locked segment cannot be edited by an editor with a lower editing rank than the lock's current number.
Segments that are locked will affect the turn restrictions for all other segments connected to either end of the locked segment at those junctions. Therefore when changing turn restrictions for another segment you find the turn restriction is not changing, check the other segments at that junction. It is possible another segment is locked at a rank higher than your current editing rank.
For more information on locked roads and how to unlock them, see the section on locked segments.
On My Dashboard all my points have gone, and the date of last update is very old. What's wrong?
Typically when the points on My Dashboard are gone, you are possibly logged in to the wrong server.
To make sure you're logged in to he correct server, click on My dashboard, and on the top of the page on the right side choose World, USA, or IL.
How are points calculated?
Some of my points are missing
If all of your points are gone, refer to the explanation on possibly being on the wrong server. If you are missing points from bonus candies, review the article on bonus points and road goodies.
How do I change my home state or country?
The scoreboard allows you to compete for points against other wazers in your state or country. Waze automatically matches you to the state or country based on where you have earned the most points in the last week. If you travel several states a lot, send in a support ticket via the Quick Help form at Waze Support to have them lock your home state.
How can I remove or delete a group that I've created in Waze?
Send in a support ticket via the Quick Help at Waze Support.
How can I delete my account and all info from waze?
Send in a support ticket via the Quick Help form at Waze Support. Enter "Delete Waze account" as the subject/question, then click the Email link. Complete filling out the form with your Waze username and registered email address.
How can I change my username?
At this time, changing your username is not possible.
When are weekly points calculated?
Points are added up from Monday through Sunday. Alerts usually appear on your client on Monday morning.
Yes. All driving when Waze is running, whether in navigation mode or not, is tracked and can give you points. There are reasons why you may not see all your drives or get points for driving. See the flaky network connection question below for more information about those situations.
Why isn't the location of other Wazers in the app accurate?
Other Wazers shown on the map in the app are delayed by between 2-5 minutes. This is both for security concerns, server capacity, and network data capacity. It would be a huge amount of data required to update every Wazer's location every 2 seconds.
Does Waze support time-based turn restrictions where turns are allowed or restricted during certain times of day?
Not currently in the released WME, but it is being tested in the beta version. If you know of an intersection that has a scheduled restriction, go to the forums to report it and ask if an editor with access to the beta editor can add it.
Prior to this feature being available in the live editor it was recommended that in order to prevent Waze from recommending an illegal turn, if a turn is restricted during any time of day, it is usually better to restrict the turn completely. This is especially true when the restriction is set during commute hours when the traffic is the most busy and confusing.
A preview of this feature can be seen on Scheduled restrictions
What do I do when Waze has my destination or address at the wrong location?
If Waze is routing you to the wrong location for your destination, it likely is due to Waze getting the wrong GPS coordinates for the destination. In most parts of the world, Waze relies exclusively on 3rd party content providers for address and POI locations. Waze sends your address or POI search to these 3rd parties, and they then return to Waze GPS coordinates for that destination. Waze then routes to the closest location on the Waze map for the GPS coordinates. For example, if Waze routes to the street behind the location, that is because the GPS coordinates for that location are closer to that street behind the location than the street you actually access the location from.
To solve the errors in external providers' data, you need to update the GPS coordinates with the 3rd party provider who is supplying the bad information to Waze.
- In the US & Canada, address lookups are handled by Google. To confirm, look up the address on Google and verify the pin for the location corresponds to the location being used by Waze. If the pin is wrong, you can update its location. Instructions on how to do so can be found here.
- For other countries, visit the country specific section of the forum to find out the provider of address coordinates for your area.
- POI lookups (business names) are provided by a variety of providers. Look to see what tab in the search results you are using for the POI to determine which provider you need to contact to fix the GPS coordinates.
Most providers offer a way to submit corrections to their location data.
The Waze map editor currently allows for the limited placement and adjustment of addresses on streets, and while it is a good idea to update this address information for accuracy, it is not currently being used by Waze for navigation except in cases where Google fails to return a result.
Can I add a road hazard or accident to the map from home or the office?
Yes, use Feed The Waze
http://feedthe.waze.hu/ - (Int'l Only)
The Waze client only allows you to report things such as Police, Accident, Hazard, Camera, etc., based on your current GPS location only.
Can I search for an intersection of streets and not by address?
Yes. In the Navigate search box, enter "A St and B St" and search. You will likely need to switch the search results to Bing or Google to get an accurate search result.
Yes. In the Navigate search box, enter the numeric values of the longitude and latitude separated by a comma. Longitudes East are positive and West are negative, and latitudes North are positive and South are negative.
For example, in the United States, Disney's Epcot Center in Orland, Florida, is located at these coordinates: "-81.54942,28.37529"
The website livemap also accepts the same format in the Search box.
Note that these coordinates are often provided in the reverse order from what you need to enter them into the Waze search page.
Why doesn't Waze learn my routes?
The setting within the Waze app, "Auto-learn routes to frequent destinations" is misleading. Waze only learns your favorite destinations, but does not learn or store actual routes. It will pop-up with the "Are going home?" or "going to work?" messages for these frequented destinations.
Waze should always pick what it believes is, mathematically, the fastest or shortest route, depending on your settings. If, in your estimation, it doesn't, that means that there could be an error in the map somewhere along your preferred route, or there is a lack of correct speed/traffic data for that route, or lack or correct speed/traffic data on the route it is trying to send you on. If it isn't too far out of your way, take the suggested route a few times and Waze will collect and start to use that data in its routing decisions.
The reason just driving the expected or preferred route won't work automatically is because Waze could have incorrect speed data on the segments it wants you to take. If Waze thinks another road is 2x as fast as your preferred road, no amount of driving on your preferred road can change the data for the other road. Waze needs accurate data for all neighboring segments and routes in order to always compute the fastest (or shortest, depending on your app setting) route.
How does Waze work, and do I get points for, driving with no or flaky data network connection?
For all aspects of Waze to operate, it was built assuming a data network connection would be present most all the time. If you have an intermittent connection, Waze will try to get data from the servers for traffic alerts and hazards, but may not be able to give you reliable information. Additionally, if Waze doesn't have a connection back to the Waze servers, you will not be able to post hazards. Waze does not cache reports or map issues for sending later.
In regards to points or drive integrity, Waze will collect the data in terms of where you have driven even during network outages. In order for you to get credit for and being able to see in the editor your drive data collected during network outages, Waze must be able to upload your drive at the end of your trip. Waze sends this retained information when you shut it down. The Waze app does not cache your drives after shut down. If the Waze app does not have a connection to the servers when you shut down, any drive data not yet uploaded to the Waze servers will be lost, and any points associated with it will not be credited.
There is still some debate as to whether Waze will try to upload the most recent drive when you start Waze the next time, but this hasn't been conclusively proven.
Should I map separate turn lanes and exit approaches with long waiting times to help Waze calculate best route?
Waze computes the individual durations between any segment to any other segment through a common junction. That enables Waze to determine if the time to turn left at a light is longer than going straight and taking an alternate route to the destination. This is also true for long exit ramps from a freeway or motorway. Waze knows the slow vehicles are turning off the exit ramp and the fast ones are continuing straight. The only exception to this would be if there are unnecessary junctions with two segments before that exit ramp.
How do I get support for my Waze question?
Waze is a community driven application. In order to keep the application free to everyone, the community does what it can to be self-sufficient with support needs. For this reason there is a recommended process everyone is asked to use in order to help answer the hundreds of questions that come in every day.
There are three sources of support for Waze:
Wiki
The Wiki is full of information on both the client app and the back end Waze Map Editor (WME). In the search box enter your topic of interest. You may be presented with a particular page on your topic, or you might get a list of possible topics. If you don't find what you are looking for try to use alternate words to describe your topic. Ultimately if you do not find what you are looking for try the forums next.
Forums
The forums are primarily for community-based support meaning the vast majority of the questions posed there will be answered by fellow Waze users and editors. Many of these Wazers are very experienced and typically know where to find the answer to your question if you cannot find it. Some of the forums are also monitored by Waze staff and will also post announcements on some of the forums for everyone to see.
There are cases where the forum experts will tell you that you need to fill out a support ticket. This is covered under the nanoRep section next.
nanoRep - Quick Help
Much of the information in the Wiki is also in the nanoRep system, but it has a more advanced parser to better match the phrasing of your question to the answers within the system. Because some information can change quickly, it is best to double check your question inside nanoRep in case new information on your issue has been added and possibly the forum community has not yet heard about it.
- Go to the Support page.
- In the Quick Help section, enter your problem/request/issue into the single text box at the top of the page. You may see multiple answers related to your question. Some answers may include links to other related answers so be sure to click on those links if your answer is not covered with those responses.
- If your question is not covered try wording it in a different way and also use alternate terms.
- If your situation still isn't addressed, look for and click on the Click here link next to "Still can't find what you are looking for?" at the bottom of the box.
- Click the appropriate category which best represents your problem/request/issue, read through the responses and select one closest to your situation.
- If that still did not answer your question, you can click the "More>>" link that appears at the bottom of the initial set of category pages. You can also click the "<Back" link until you are returned to the initial category menu with the heading "Please choose from the following categories" and then click on the "Next>>" link.
- You should now be on a secondary category menu with the heading "Categories Please select the category which best represents your question from the suggested main categories:". Click on a related category for a set of expandable topics that you can browse through. If you still cannot find your answer in these topics, click on here in the phrase "If you cannot find your answer, please click here to contact us" just below the topic window.
- Fill out the presented form with the requested information, and include the full text details of your request, including permalinks to the editor, links to app screenshots, etc., in the More Details box as appropriate for your issue. Be sure to note you also checked the forums and Wiki for your answer and could not find it.
- Click Submit.
You will not receive an email confirmation of your ticket being created. You should receive some kind of response from Waze within a few days. Note that they receive hundreds of requests per day, so please be patient.