Generic, highly automated responses for UR-overwhelmed areas
URs with no conversation yet
This is to alert you that your report has been received in the volunteer map database. Depending on many factors, it can take some time for volunteer editors to process your report. Please consider adding details to your report by responding to this message using the app. If your issue involved reaching a specific address or place, please say what it was, as Waze does not give the volunteers that information. Anything you can offer will help the volunteer editors investigate the map issue more quickly and effectively.
Update Requests with no immediately obvious issue
General Error with no descriptive text
Volunteer editor responding. Waze did not send us enough information to fix your request. Please let us know what went wrong and tell us your destination as you entered it into Waze. Thank You!
Description is generic rant with no details
Volunteer editor responding to your concern. Waze is definitely not perfect, and never will be, but I've been volunteering my time to make it better in this area. If you would be willing to provide some details about your experience maybe I can help, or at least tell you a bit about how Waze works (or doesn't work). What exactly went wrong? Where did you start, where were you going, and what app behavior would have been better? (Open to any editor)
Likely cause identified, give reporter opportunity to clarify
Google position wrong
Volunteer editor responding to your report of routing to a nearby street instead of to your destination. This is, sadly, a common problem. Waze relies on Google to get a destination position and then does whatever it takes to get you as close as possible to that position. But, Google's position markers are often placed closer to undesired streets than to the correct access street. So, probably the Google position for your destination is the problem. The good news is that we can usually override the Google position, if we know what to fix. Can you tell us the destination address? Please respond using the Waze app, emails don't work with the reporting system. (Open to any editor)
The "Waze 180"
Volunteer editor 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.
Doesn't know I've arrived / going around the block
Volunteer editor 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.
Routing back the way driver came
Volunteer editor 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 (1) doesn't know about a legal turn or U-turn; (2) has a badly incorrect position for your destination; (3) was given an erroneous destination; or, (4) is still trying to take you to an old destination. Unfortunately we don't know what your destination was! Where did you ask Waze to take you? Were you expecting Waze to offer you a turn or U-turn somewhere? If so, where? Please respond using the app, emails don't work with the reporting system.
Mistook earlier turn for later turn
Volunteer editor responding to your report of being routed through an illegal turn. It looks like Waze intended for you to take the turn *just before* the one you thought it meant. This is a common experience when driving in close quarters: Waze may suggest turning within parking lots close to the exits, for example, or on smaller, less noticeable roads close to major intersections. Sadly we volunteers can't do much about this! You can get the most out of the Waze app by (1) placing the Waze display where you can see it easily, and (2) using a standard voice that speaks the street names, rather than a celebrity or parody voice. If you are sure this wasn't the problem, 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.
Bogus missing road, exit, and bridge overpass reports
Volunteer editor 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.
Failed route but no info, editor suspects short-term closure
Volunteer editor responding to your report that you couldn't follow Waze's route. As far as we can tell the route is normally open. If a road or turn was 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 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.
Failed route, user explicitly reports road closure
Volunteer editor responding to your report of a road closure. 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 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). However, if this is a long-term closure or time-based or vehicle-type-based restriction, please respond using the app (emails don't work with the reporting system) and let us know as much detail as you can.
Failed route, user rants at Waze regarding road closure
Volunteer editor responding. Sorry for your experience. Please note that Waze employees never see "Map Issue" reports. The reports simply appear on the volunteer editing screen. The idea is that volunteers working on their own time will see them and will do something. Unfortunately we have few volunteers watching this area, meanwhile the number of "map issue" reports keeps increasing. Sadly, most reports these days end up unactionable, but they still take volunteer effort to handle. As a result, even the few volunteers we have sometimes lose heart. With the map covered in unactionable but labor-intensive reports, important issues can go unnoticed. All I can suggest is that you make use of the Report->Closure feature. This feature allows you to mark closures in real time, unlike Report->Map Issue. The good news is, Waze developers are aware of the map-issue overload problem and are planning to improve the interface so that important map issues may be detected sooner.
Volunteer editor responding. Looks like Waze thought you'd be better off taking an alternate route to get where you were going. Waze is not perfect by any means but it often does know things about upcoming traffic that one can't see from the car. Unfortunately Waze doesn't provide us volunteers with traffic data so there's no way we can verify whether the route was in fact optimal at the time of your drive. If we've misunderstood the problem please respond using the app (e-mails don't work with the reporting system). Otherwise we'll close this report in a few days.
Confused by "One Way" sign on opposite side from turn
Volunteer editor responding to your report regarding a prohibited turn. Unfortunately the "One Way" signage here is confusing: the street you were asked to turn on is indeed one way the wrong way, but only on the OTHER side. The side Waze wanted to take you appears to be legal to turn into. Because of the confusing signage we often see reports like this. But we definitely want the map to be correct! Did you see any other signs prohibiting the turn, such as "No Turns" or "Do Not Enter" signs? If you are certain the turn is prohibited, please respond using the app (emails don't work with the reporting system) and let us know as much detail as you can. Otherwise we'll close this report in a few days.
Construction zones (followup response)
If the roads are just slow but not closed, unfortunately there's nothing we can do; we have to rely on Waze's real-time traffic-speed monitoring to identify the best route, and depending on how many Wazers have been that way, Waze may simply not know about the problems yet. Now, if the roads are completely closed, then our best approach depends on whether they are short-term or long-term closures. To report short-term closures please use the Report -> Closure feature in the app, as that takes effect immediately. On the other hand, Report -> Map Issue (what you used here) can take quite some time and only makes sense for long-term closures. Is there a long-term closure you'd like us to implement? If so, please provide details and we'd be glad to look into it! Otherwise we'll close this report in a few days. Cheers!
Volunteer editor 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.
Snapped to wrong road/lane when asking for route in dense area
Volunteer editor responding to your report of an unexpected or impossible route. It appears that you may have asked Waze for a route while you were located within a complex area, with multiple, closely-spaced lanes dedicated to different directions. GPS position information isn't perfect, so when you request a route from such an area -- for example, while waiting in traffic at a complex intersection or within a multilevel viaduct -- Waze can guess your starting road or lane wrong. As a result Waze may believe you are committed to a different direction than you actually are, and offer you an unusable route. We'll see if we can simplify things here to make this effect less likely for future Wazers, but generally there's little we can do. The good news is that, if you continue driving, Waze will recalculate as always once it realizes where you really are. Waze also is in the process of modifying the way it snaps users to roads, so you'll see it improving more in the next year or two.
Google pins
Google pin (easy)
Volunteer editor responding to your report of a map issue. The problem was caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets some 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 editor responding to your report of a map issue. The problem is caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets some 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.
Google FAIL, how to use Waze
Volunteer editor responding to your report of a map issue. The problem is caused by inaccurate data provided by Google (Waze gets some 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.
Closing alerts
Fixed Roads
Volunteer editor 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!
Fixed Places and/or House Numbers (wait for map update)
Volunteer editor responding. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we found your destination was incorrectly located on the Waze map and we have fixed it! The fix should be available within a week, but on rare occasions it can take longer. The bad news is, your Waze app has remembered the old, wrong position from your last drive and will not automatically update it. Please wait at least a few days, preferably a week, then remove all instances of this destination from your recents, favorites, home, and/or work lists. That will force the app to obtain the new position the next time you navigate there. Cheers!
(NOTE TO EDITORS, DO NOT INCLUDE IN RESPONSE: Remember when changing House Numbers to make some kind of road edit close by to trigger a tile update. It could be as simple as selecting a segment drag handle to create a new geometry node, then deleting the node and saving.)
Fixed Places and/or House Numbers (update already in effect)
Volunteer editor responding to your report of a map issue. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we found your destination was incorrectly located on the Waze map and we have fixed it! The bad news is, your Waze app has remembered the old, wrong position from your last drive and will not automatically update it. Please remove all instances of this destination from your recents, favorites, home, and/or work lists. That will force the app to obtain the new position the next time you navigate there.
Slightly incorrect position
Volunteer editor responding to your map-issue report of an incorrect position. The map looks OK here, so apparently this was an issue with the Waze app, not the map. We volunteer map editors can't modify the app's positioning system, but we know it isn't always perfect among dense roadways or in areas of poor GPS reception such as valleys, forests, and urban canyons. Position accuracy can improve a lot when you are moving, and especially when you are following Waze's route. You can also ensure your mobile device has a clear view of the sky to get the best GPS position. That's the best we can offer -- sorry not to be more help!
Bad route due to bogus GPS
Volunteer editor 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. For example, 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 editor 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!).
Still tracking stale route
Volunteer editor 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.
Routed into traffic (calm report)
Volunteer editor responding to your report of being routed into traffic. Sadly, we volunteers don't have access to the traffic history and have no way to analyze what happened. Sometimes Waze may not know of fresh accidents or slowdowns because it hasn't yet received enough data from other Wazers. Or, there may be a temporary closure on alternate routes that forced Waze to route you into traffic. Finally there is the possibility that the traffic is just really bad everywhere and there is no faster route. Without access to the traffic history all we can do is speculate. We hate traffic as much as you do and I wish we could be more help!
Routed into traffic (angry rant)
Volunteer editor responding to your report that Waze took you into very slow, heavy traffic. I wish I knew what to tell you. I get mad at Waze too when it routes me into heavy traffic, but when I think about it later, the alternatives were probably no better at that time on that day. In any event we poor volunteer editors can't do anything about the app functionality, we can only make sure the map itself is correct and then hope Waze does the rest. Usually it does (otherwise I wouldn't volunteer!). But when everything nearby is gridlocked I don't know how well any app can work. Sorry for your experience, and sorry not to be more help!
Closed for occasional event
Volunteer editor responding. Authorities briefly close roads in this area during occasional events. These events do not repeat on a daily or weekly schedule, so each one would need to be programmed manually into Waze. Unfortunately we volunteers don't have the resources to do that. But you can help! You can use the Report->Closure feature in the app. It takes effect immediately, and the more people use it, the greater confidence Waze assigns the closure. This will work much better than submitting a "Map Issue" report like this one, since Map-Issue reports depend completely on volunteers for processing and can take some time.
Stale or bogus traffic indications
Volunteer editor responding to your report of wrong traffic indications. Sadly, we volunteers don't have access to the traffic history and have no way to analyze what happened. Sometimes Waze can say there's traffic when it's still remembering an old situation, or if it's been confused by someone improperly using Waze on a slow-moving vehicle like a bicycle. And, sometimes Waze can say there isn't traffic when it hasn't yet received enough data on fresh accidents or slowdowns from other Wazers. 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 maneuver (usually unprotected left turns)
Volunteer editor responding. Sorry to hear of your experience. I would hate it too if Waze asked me to make a difficult maneuver through heavy traffic! Unfortunately there's nothing we volunteer map editors can do. If we disallow the maneuver, then others who want that legal 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 kept track of how long it took you to navigate the intersection. Once a number of Wazers have crossed or turned at an intersection at different times of day, Waze learns how slow crossing or turning there is. This is an automatic process that may only take a few weeks in a heavily Wazed urban area. After that, Waze definitely considers its learned intersection delays when calculating a route. I hope this helps!
Roads aren't displaying
Volunteer editor responding to your report that roads are not displaying. The Waze app "hides" roads from its display while you are driving so as to avoid cluttering the screen. The faster you drive, the more roads it hides. Also, if you zoom out the display, Waze hides more and more roads, showing only the most significant. Finally, if the Waze app has recently downloaded new maps, it does (rarely!) happen that some roads don't display; quitting and restarting the Waze app should cure that problem. That's the best we volunteers can offer regarding road display, so we'll close this report. Hope this helps!
Legal route but dangerous or impossible in heavy traffic
Volunteer editor 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 make a judgement as to what level of risk different drivers will accept. The only thing it can do is measure how long a maneuver takes to complete at different times of day and factor that into its suggested route. We could simply prohibit this maneuver, but then other drivers would complain when Waze avoided it, especially when traffic is light. We don't like dangerous maneuvers any more than you do, and wish we could do something about it, but sadly there's no good solution to this problem with the tools we have. Sorry not to be more help!
Verified temporary road closure
Volunteer editor responding to your report of a road closure. The best information we have suggests this was only a temporary road closure and that the route is now open again. Sadly it's not possible for us volunteers to be on top of every temporary road closure and program them into Waze. But you can help! You can report short-term road closures directly into the Waze system using the Report->Closure feature in the Waze app. You can improve other Wazers' driving experience within minutes! It helps much more than reporting Map Issues; by the time Map Issues reach the volunteers, the temporary closure is usually over, and there's nothing we can do. Cheers!
Road inexplicably closed/restricted outside of normal restricted hours (followup response)
If the restrictions already programmed in the map are usually correct, there's not much more we volunteers can do. However, if you'd like to help other Wazers when you find unexpected temporary closures, please use the Report->Closure feature in the app. It takes effect immediately, and the more people use it, the greater confidence Waze assigns the closure. This will work much better than submitting a "Map Issue" report like this one, since Map-Issue reports depend completely on volunteers for processing and can take some time. Sorry I can't be more help.
Unexpected route (small scale / detour)
Volunteer editor responding. I can't find anything in the map to explain the unexpected route 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 an unexpected route even after traffic has cleared up or a temporary closure has ended, 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.
Unexpected route (large scale)
Volunteer editor responding to your report of Waze directing you far from your expected route. I'm afraid we volunteers can't be much help. Waze doesn't tell us why it suggested the route it did. One explanation is that Waze gave unclear instructions that accidentally committed you to the "long way"; if you think that's what happened, can you say where the instructions might have been unclear? Another explanation is that the traffic along your expected route may have been unusually heavy, perhaps due to an accident or a sports or cultural event. Or maybe a road or ramp was closed? There may also be a fault in the Waze map somewhere, and of course we can't rule out the possibility that Waze simply made a mistake. Unfortunately, at this scale and without more data, it's not feasible for us volunteers to debug this. I've checked the immediate area of your report but couldn't find anything wrong. We'll close this report in a few days unless you have further thoughts. Sorry not to be more help!
Unexplained NON-detour
Volunteer editor 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.
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. Buena suerte y feliz viajes!
(Regrets, we are volunteers only for maintaining the maps. We don't speak Spanish well and we can't help with the application. Best of luck and happy travels!)
NO THRU TRAFFIC
Volunteer editor 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!
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!
Apparent duplicate
Volunteer editor responding. Based on this report's timestamp, location, and other data, it appears to be a duplicate of one or more other reports submitted nearby. A single report is usually sufficient, so we will close this as an accidental resubmission. No worries! However, please be aware that sending multiple reports for the same map issue over a short time taxes the volunteer map editors and prevents them from helping other reporters. Sending multiple, identical reports of any kind may be considered gaming, and can result in loss of reporting privileges.