The Waze client is capable of displaying the map using various color schemes. Several color schemes are available in the client by default; users are also able to create their own custom color schemes or install custom color schemes created by others.
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Default color schemes
Thirteen daytime color schemes are available in the Waze client:
- Default
- Green peace
- Minimalism
- Vitamin C
- The blues
- Mochaccino
- Snow day
- Twilight
- Tutti-frutti
- Rosebud
- Electrolytes
- Map editors
- Green fields
The daytime color scheme can be changed in Settings - Display Settings - Map Color Scheme.
Waze also includes one night color scheme. This is activated by choosing "Night" mode in the Settings menu, or by leaving "Auto" enabled and using Waze at night.
Custom color schemes
A user can also create custom color schemes using a text editor.
Creating custom color schemes
Each color scheme is defined by a schema file. The schema file contains the color and size information for each road type and certain other features, such as Places, water features, map labels, and so forth.
The easiest way to create your own scheme is to start with one of the default schema files. To get to the default schema files, you'll need a file browser for your device (such as iFunBox for use with iOS devices, or ASTRO File Manager for Android).
- In iOS, the day schemes are found in User Applications » Waze » Waze.app » skins » default » day and its subfolders, and the night scheme is found in User Applications » Waze » Waze.app » skins » default » night.
*In Android, the day schemes are found in SD Card (or your root folder) » Waze » skins » default » day and its subfolders, and the night scheme is found in SD Card (or your root folder) » Waze » skins » default » night.
You may wish to copy both directories to your computer to make it easier.
Within the day folder, there are several subfolders. Each subfolder contains a schema file, as does the day folder itself. The schema files correspond to the default schemes as follows:
- 1: The blues
- 2: Mochaccino
- 3: Snow day
- 4: Twilight
- 5: Tutti-frutti
- 6: Rosebud
- 7: Electrolytes
- 8: Map editors
- 9: Green peace
- 10: Minimalism
- 11: Green fields
- 12: Default
- day folder: Vitamin C
To edit a schema file, open it in a text editor. Each schema file is a list of parameters – most relating to color and size. Color parameters are in #rrggbb hex color format (see web colors); some color parameters have two additional digits, controlling the alpha channel (transparency) of that particular feature (#rrggbbaa).
| Parameter name | What it does |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Map.Background | The background of the map. |
| Labels.Color | The color of road name label text. |
| Labels.Bgcolor | The outline/outer glow of all text labels – roads, cities, Places, etc. |
| Console.Foreground | unknown |
| Console.Background | unknown |
| Road class: Roads and other lines | |
| Freeways | Freeway |
| Primary | Major Highway |
| Secondary | Minor Highway |
| Highways | Primary Street |
| Streets | Street, Private Road, Parking Lot Road |
| Ramps | Ramp |
| Exit | unknown/unused at this time |
| 4X4 Trails | Dirt road / 4x4 Trail |
| Railroads | Railroad |
| Runways | Runway/Taxiway |
| Ferry | unused at this time? |
| Private | unused at this time |
| Parking | unused at this time |
| Pedestrian | Pedestrian Boardwalk |
| Trails | Walking Trail |
| Walkway | Stairway |
| Road parameters | |
| Class | Class ("Road") |
| Color | Color of road outline |
| Color1 | Color of road body |
| Color2 | Color of unmunched road body |
| Declutter0 | Possibly controls the zoom level at which the road type disappears? |
| Delta11 | Thickness of road outline (in negative pixels) |
| Delta2 | Thickness of unmunched road outline (in negative pixels) |
| Thickness | Overall thickness of road (in nondimensional units) |
| Area class: Places, cities, and water layer | |
| Stations | Most Area Places |
| Cities | Cities (as seen in WME city layer) |
| Airports2 | Islands (not user-editable) |
| Hospitals | unknown/unused at this time |
| Malls | unknown/unused at this time |
| Parks | Area Places: Park, possibly others (Forest? Golf course?) |
| Rivers | unknown/unused at this time |
| Lakes | unknown/unused at this time |
| Sea | Water layer (not user-editable) and water-type Area Places (user-editable) |
| Shore | unknown/unused at this time |
| Area parameters | |
| Class | Class ("Area" or "Feature") |
| Color | Color of area polygon |
| Color1 | Color of area border |
| Declutter | unknown |
| Delta11 | Size of area border (in pixels?) |
| Thickness | unknown/unused |
| Other | |
| Navigation.RouteColor | Navigation line to your destination (default: purple) |
| Navigation.PossibleRouteColor | unknown/unused at this time (default: light blue) |
| Navigation.StopPointColor | Navigation line to a stop point (default: pink) |
^0 What declutter does exactly is unknown. What is ascertainable is that the declutter value is a 32-bit signed integer – the freeway type has a declutter value of 2147483647.
^1 The delta values and their corresponding colors seem to operate differently for roads than they do for areas. For roads, Color1 and Color2 are apparently drawn on top of Color, so the delta values are negative – the Color "border" is apparently actually the bottom layer. For areas, Color1 is apparently drawn only past the edge of the area, so the delta value is positive – the Color1 "border" seems to be an actual border.
^2 Oddly enough. The "airports" (actually islands) layer is the only area layer drawn on top of the sea (water) layer.
Installing custom color schemes
iOS
Installing custom themes in iOS does not require replacing the default themes, so don't worry about creating a backup.
- Get an iOS file manager, such as iFunBox.
- In the file manager, open "Waze" in User Applications.
- In the Waze » Documents folder, if it's not already there, create a new folder named skins. Inside the skins folder, create a new folder called default.
- To install a day theme,
- In the Waze » Documents » skins » default folder, create a folder named day.
- Create a numbered folder inside the day folder that corresponds with the number of the included skin you would like to replace.
- For example, to replace the "Tutti-frutti" theme, create a folder named 5.
- Place your custom schema file inside the numbered folder you just created.
- To install a night theme,
- In the Waze » Documents » skins » default folder, create a folder named night.
- Place your custom schema file directly inside the night folder you just created.
- Note that this will replace the default night theme; only one night theme can be installed at a given time.
- To use an installed theme,
- Day schemes: In Settings » Display settings » Map Color Scheme, select the name of the theme you replaced. So, if you placed your schema file in folder 5, select "Tutti-frutti" in the app to use your custom scheme (there is currently no known way to rename schemes in the list in the app). Also, ensure that the client is in "day" mode, or leave it in "auto" and wait until daytime.
- Night schemes: Set the client to "night" mode or wait until nighttime.
- You can replace a schema file for a currently-selected theme even while the client is running, but to use a new version of a theme you are already running, you have to make the client reload the theme. To do this, switch away from and back to that theme. The quickest way to do this is to set the client to day/night mode and back.
- To uninstall a custom theme, delete its schema file. You can also temporarily disable a custom theme by renaming the schema file to something other than "schema".
Android
- Choose a scheme you wish to replace from the built in list above.
- Place the new schema file in the corresponding folder, replacing (or renaming) the original file.
- Alternatively you can directly modify the existing schema file (open with a text editor) with the changes you desire. You may also copy and paste the complete code of the scheme you want into the original schema file, replacing the original content.
- If there are sub-folders for specific zoom levels, you will have to either remove or modify the schema files in those directories as well.
Example custom color schemes
| Name | By | Details | Screenshot | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Map Editors
Last updated July 9th, 2014
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PesachZ |
A modified version of the map editors scheme featuring:
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| Friendly WME Theme
Last updated Aug 21 2014
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Sketch |
A modified version of PesachZ's map editors scheme featuring:
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| Map Editors night
Last updated July 9th, 2014
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PesachZ |
A modified version of my map editors scheme featuring:
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| WME Neon Night Theme
Last updated Jul 08 2014
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Sketch |
A modified version of PesachZ's map editors night scheme featuring:
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| Night Blue
Last updated June 25th, 2014
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PesachZ |
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| Garminesque day
Last updated January 9th, 2016
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DeepSouthDiver |
A map color scheme with a focus on contrast and definition, made by a guy that's been using various GPS systems for over a decade every day. The key is to keep the pertinent information immediately viewable, while minimizing the unnecessary information. Hopefully, this minimizes driver distraction and gets pertinent information into the driver's brain fastest and most efficiently so that he/she can focus on DRIVING. Those of you familiar with GARMIN nav systems will immediately see similarities and will quickly be comfortable with this scheme.
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| Garminesque night
Last updated January 9th, 2016
|
DeepSouthDiver |
A night version of the map color scheme with a focus on contrast and definition, made by a guy that's been using various GPS systems for over a decade every day. The key is to keep the pertinent information immediately viewable, while minimizing the unnecessary information. Hopefully, this minimizes driver distraction and gets pertinent information into the driver's brain fastest and most efficiently so that he/she can focus on DRIVING. Those of you familiar with GARMIN nav systems will immediately see similarities and will quickly be comfortable with this scheme.
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| New WME Cool Day
Last updated August 26th, 2014
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Spookyx |
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| Serenity
Last updated August 26th, 2014
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bretmcvey |
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Download Schema File (Google Drive)
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| OS OpenData
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Dave2084 |
NOTE: This colour scheme is only suitable for Waze v3.x and will not work on v4.x.
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| Classic Google Maps UK
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Dave2084 | NOTE: This colour scheme is only suitable for Waze v3.x and will not work on v4.x. A new daytime colour-scheme based on the maps colour scheme that Google stopped using in 2013.
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| Audi TT At Night
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Dave2084 | NOTE: This colour scheme is only suitable for Waze v3.x and will not work on v4.x. A new night colour-scheme that offers the following features:
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| WME Map Editors Black
Last updated January 3rd, 2015
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Chief5232 |
Based on the standard Map Editors theme
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