How do I get the voice back on Waze?

Waze is a popular navigation app owned by Google that provides turn-by-turn driving directions and real-time traffic updates. One of its most useful features is the voice guidance that speaks directions and alerts directly through your phone’s speaker or car stereo. However, sometimes the voice mysteriously stops working, leaving drivers without this key hands-free guidance.

There are several potential causes for Waze losing its voice, ranging from incorrect app settings to problems with your phone’s microphone access. The goal of this article is to walk through the most common reasons the voice stops working in Waze and the steps you can take to get it working again. With some simple troubleshooting, you can usually resolve the issue and restore Waze’s spoken directions.

Check App Settings

One of the first things to check is your Waze app settings to ensure voice guidance is enabled. Open the Waze app and tap on the profile icon in the top left corner. Then go to Settings > Voice & sound.

Make sure the “Sounds” toggle is turned on. This enables voice guidance and alerts in the Waze app (https://support.google.com/waze/answer/10264825?hl=en).

You’ll also want to check that the Voice language is set to your preferred language. Waze offers voice guidance in numerous languages, so make sure this is set correctly.

Once you confirm voice guidance is enabled and the language is set correctly in your Waze settings, you should begin hearing voice prompts again when navigating.

Update the App

An outdated version of the Waze app can cause issues with features like voice guidance not working properly. To ensure you have the latest version, open your device’s app store (Google Play Store for Android, App Store for iOS) and search for Waze. If an update is available, tap the Update button to download and install it.

Waze frequently releases new versions of the app to fix bugs, improve performance, and add new features. Running the latest version can resolve problems like the voice not working. According to this source, going to the app store and installing any available updates is one of the first troubleshooting steps to try when Waze encounters problems.

Once the app update is installed, reopen Waze and check if the voice is working again. The new version may have addressed underlying issues that were preventing voice guidance from functioning properly.

Reboot Your Phone

One of the first troubleshooting steps to take when an app like Waze stops working is to simply reboot your phone. According to Google’s Android support page, restarting your phone can help reset any glitches that may be preventing an app like Waze from functioning properly. Restarting your Android device essentially clears out any memory issues or software glitches that could be interfering with the app’s ability to access the microphone.

To reboot your Android phone, hold down the power button for about 30 seconds until the power off option appears. Tap that option to turn your phone completely off. Let the phone stay powered off for at least 30 seconds, then press and hold the power button again to turn it back on. This gives the phone a chance to fully reboot its operating system.

Once the phone has restarted, open the Waze app again and check if you can now access the microphone and voice features. Many times a simple reboot is all that’s needed to reset app glitches and get things working properly again.

Check Data/WiFi Connection

The voice directions in Waze require an active internet connection to function. If you lose connectivity, the voice prompts will stop working.

Try switching between WiFi and mobile data to see if one restores connectivity. Go to your phone’s Settings > WiFi and toggle your WiFi on and off. You can also go to Settings > Cellular to enable/disable mobile data.

Make sure Airplane Mode is disabled, as this will cut off all network connections. Check that cellular data and WiFi are enabled in Airplane Mode settings if it’s on.

If neither WiFi nor mobile data work, you likely have an issue with your network/carrier coverage in that area rather than a problem with the Waze app itself. Try moving to a location with better reception and test if voice directions work there.

As a last resort, you can download the voice directions for offline use in the Waze settings. This will allow navigation voice to work even without an internet connection. But you’ll need to download the voice pack while online first.

Sources:
https://www.lifewire.com/fix-waze-not-working-7499315

Allow Microphone Access

Waze requires microphone access in order to enable voice commands and voice navigation. If you are unable to use voice features in Waze, the app may not have permission to access your device’s microphone.

To allow Waze to access the microphone on an iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and ensure that Waze is enabled. You can also open Waze, go to your profile icon > Settings > Sound & voice > Talk to Waze and tap “Allow Microphone Access” [1]. On Android phones, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Waze > Permissions and enable Microphone access.

Granting microphone permission allows Waze to hear your voice commands like “Ok Waze” and provide voice-guided navigation. If you are still unable to use voice features after enabling microphone access, you may need to update the Waze app, reboot your device, or contact Waze Support.

Clear App Cache/Data

If there’s an issue with the Waze app itself, clearing the cache and app data can help fix software problems or glitches (https://www.quora.com/). Clearing the cache removes any temporary app files that may be outdated or corrupted, while clearing app data resets the app to its default state.

To clear the Waze app cache and data on Android:

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps.

Find Waze and tap on it.
Tap Storage & cache > Clear cache and Clear storage to clear the app cache and data.

After clearing the cache and data, reopen the Waze app. You may need to log in again and reconfigure any settings that were reset. If the voice issue persists, you can try other troubleshooting steps.

Clearing the cache and app data is a useful way to resolve a wide range of app problems, including issues with the voice feature in Waze (https://www.androidpolice.com/). However, it doesn’t fix underlying software bugs, so you may need to contact Waze support if the problem continues.

Remove and Reinstall Waze

If none of the previous troubleshooting steps succeed in restoring voice navigation on Waze, the next step is to uninstall and then reinstall the Waze app. This gives the app a fresh start, which can resolve underlying software issues.

To uninstall Waze on an iPhone, hold your finger down on the Waze app icon until it starts wiggling. Then tap the “X” icon on the top-left corner of the Waze app icon to delete it. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

On Android, open the Settings app and go to Apps & Notifications. Tap See All Apps and find Waze. Tap Waze and then Uninstall. Confirm the uninstall when prompted.

After uninstalling Waze, you can reinstall a fresh version of the app from the App Store on iPhone or Play Store on Android. Open the store, search for “Waze” and tap Install. Once installed, open Waze and go through the signup process again.

With a freshly installed version of Waze, try using voice navigation again to see if the issue is resolved. Reinstalling the app wipes out any corrupted data that could be preventing voice features from working properly.

Source: Fix an installed Android app that isn’t working – Android – Google Play Help

Contact Waze Support

If you are still unable to restore the voice feature in the Waze app after trying all the previous troubleshooting steps, you may need to reach out to Waze customer support directly for additional help.

Waze offers several ways to contact their customer support team:

Email – You can email Waze customer support at [email protected]. Describe the issue you are experiencing with detail and a support representative will respond to assist.
Live Chat – Waze offers live chat support on their Contact Us page. Chat with a support agent in real-time to troubleshoot your no voice issue.
User Forums – You can post about your problem on the Waze forums to see if other users have faced similar issues and found solutions. Waze staff regularly monitor the forums.

The Waze customer care team is quite responsive and should be able to further diagnose your no voice problem. They may have you try steps like updating device settings, re-recording voice instructions, or checking microphone permissions. With their help, you should be able to get the voice guidance working again in the Waze app.

Conclusion

In summary, if you are having issues with the voice no longer working in Waze, there are several troubleshooting steps you can try:

First, check your app settings to make sure voice guidance is enabled. You can also try updating to the latest version of the Waze app, as a bug fix may have addressed voice issues.

Rebooting your phone and ensuring you have a strong data or WiFi connection can help rule out any connection problems stopping voice from working properly.

It’s important to check that Waze has microphone access enabled for your device. You can revoke and re-enable access in your phone’s app permissions.

Clearing the app cache and data for Waze can potentially fix software issues or conflicts that may have caused voice to stop working.

As a last resort, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Waze app entirely to see if that resolves the missing voice.

If you still cannot get voice guidance back in Waze after trying these troubleshooting tips, you should contact Waze customer support for additional help resolving the issue.