Why can't I hear Waze on my Bluetooth?

Waze is a popular navigation app owned by Google that provides turn-by-turn driving directions, real-time traffic information, and route updates based on inputs from its large community of users. One of Waze’s key features is the ability to connect to a car’s Bluetooth system to hear audio directions and alerts.

Many Waze users take advantage of this Bluetooth integration to hear Waze’s voice guidance and traffic notifications directly through their car’s speakers. However, some users encounter problems getting Waze audio to play properly over Bluetooth, even when their phone seems to connect to the car system successfully.

This article will explore common reasons why Waze’s audio may not be working with a car’s Bluetooth system and provide troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.

Checking Waze Audio Settings

One of the first things to check is if audio and voice prompts are enabled in the Waze app itself. In the Waze app, go to the main menu and select “Settings”. Then choose “Voice & sound” and make sure “Sounds” is switched on, not off.

You can adjust the volume level by sliding the “Prompts volume” bar left or right. Setting it all the way to the left will mute Waze audio entirely. Make sure the volume is turned up high enough to hear prompts clearly over car stereo and Bluetooth systems. According to Waze support, this main volume setting affects voice guidance sounds.

On iOS devices, these options are found by tapping the account icon, choosing “Settings”, then going into “Voice & sound”. Android devices have a similar settings structure. Check the Waze help documentation for your specific device if you’re having trouble finding the audio and volume options.

Enabling Bluetooth Permissions

The Waze app needs Bluetooth permissions enabled in order to play audio directions over car speakers. If you aren’t hearing any audio, it’s a good idea to check if Waze has the proper permissions.

On an iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Bluetooth and make sure Waze is enabled. You can toggle it on if needed. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > App Permissions > Bluetooth. Make sure Waze has Bluetooth turned on. If not, tap the toggle to enable it.

Granting Bluetooth permissions allows Waze to discover and pair with your car’s audio system so it can play voice directions over the speakers. This is required for getting any audio output from Waze through your car stereo. Check this setting first if you aren’t getting any sound.

Sources:
https://support.google.com/waze/answer/10264825?hl=en
https://support.google.com/waze/partners/answer/9415494?hl=en

Connecting Waze to a New Car

One common reason Waze audio may stop working over Bluetooth is if you have recently connected your phone to a new car. When connecting to a new Bluetooth system, Waze can sometimes lose the audio connection settings.

To properly set up the audio connection with a new car:

First, make sure your phone is paired to the car’s Bluetooth system for phone calls.
Open the Waze app and begin navigating to a destination.
In Waze, go to the Settings menu and tap “Sound.”

Under “Sound,” choose the “Play sound via” option.
Select “Bluetooth media audio” from the list.

This will re-initialize the Waze audio connection through your car’s Bluetooth. You should now hear Waze voice guidance and alerts through your car speakers while navigating. Just remember to go through these steps again whenever connecting to a new vehicle’s Bluetooth system.

Interference from Other Apps

One common reason Waze audio may not work properly over Bluetooth is interference from other apps using Bluetooth on your device. Apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Audible, podcast players, etc. that stream audio over Bluetooth can sometimes disrupt the audio output from Waze.

This is because the Bluetooth system on your phone can only handle audio from one app at a time. So when another audio app is playing, it takes over the Bluetooth audio channel and causes Waze voice prompts to cut out or stop working.

An easy fix is to pause any music or audio apps you have running when you want to use Waze for navigation. Switching focus to just Waze allows its audio to come through cleanly over Bluetooth without another audio app causing interference. You may need to manually resume your music after arriving at your destination.^[1]

If you are streaming audio from an app like Spotify and still want to hear Waze prompts, try reducing the volume of the music instead of pausing it. This allows both audio streams to share the Bluetooth connection. Just ensure the music volume is low enough that you can clearly hear the Waze voice over it.

On iPhone/iOS devices specifically, there is also a setting called “Audio Sharing” that can be enabled to mix audio from multiple apps together over Bluetooth. Turning this on may allow simultaneous audio from both Waze and your music player to come through without interference.^[2]

Updating the Waze App

One solution that often resolves Bluetooth connection issues is to update the Waze app to the latest version. Waze periodically releases updates that include bug fixes and performance improvements that can fix problems like no audio over Bluetooth.

To update Waze on an iPhone or iPad, open the App Store app and tap on your profile icon in the top right. Scroll down to see pending app updates and tap “Update” next to Waze to install the latest version. You can also enable automatic app updates in your iOS device settings to always keep Waze up-to-date.

For Android devices, open the Google Play Store app and tap on the menu icon in the top left corner. Go to “My apps & games” to see apps with available updates. Tap “Update” next to the Waze listing to get the latest version. You can also enable auto-updates for the Waze app specifically or for all apps in the Play Store settings.

After updating, try connecting Waze to your car’s Bluetooth again to see if the audio issue is resolved with the latest app improvements. Keep the Waze app updated routinely to have access to the newest features and fixes.

Restarting and Resetting

One of the first troubleshooting steps if you can’t hear Waze audio through Bluetooth is to restart your phone and the Waze app. Sometimes resetting the app can resolve temporary software glitches.

Begin by closing the Waze app completely and restarting your phone. After the phone has restarted, launch Waze again and see if the audio issue is fixed. Restarting can clear any software issues and initialize a fresh Bluetooth connection.

If that doesn’t work, you can try resetting the Waze app itself. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Find Waze in the list of apps and tap on it. Then tap “Offload App” and confirm to reset Waze. This clears the app data and cache [1]. On Android, open Waze and type “##@resetapp” in the search box to reset the app [2].

Resetting Waze essentially reinstalls the app data and can resolve many software-related problems. Make sure to log back into your Waze account after resetting the app.

Checking Car Bluetooth System

Sometimes the issue may not be with Waze itself, but rather with your car’s Bluetooth system. As this AutoZone article notes, there could be a compatibility problem between your phone and your car stereo, an issue with the car’s Bluetooth module, or a bug in the infotainment system firmware.

To isolate whether the problem lies with Waze or the car, try connecting another phone or audio app to your car’s Bluetooth. If those work fine, then there may be a conflict between your car’s Bluetooth and the Waze app specifically. But if the audio issues persist across different devices and apps, your car’s Bluetooth system likely needs troubleshooting or a firmware update from the manufacturer.

By testing with other phones and audio sources, you can determine if the root cause lies with Waze or the car’s Bluetooth connectivity. This helps narrow down where the problem occurs so you can take steps to restore full audio functionality through Waze.

Contacting Waze Support

If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting steps and Waze audio still isn’t working properly over Bluetooth, it’s time to reach out to Waze customer support directly for personalized help.

You can contact Waze support via email at [email protected] or through their contact form at https://www.waze.com/row-ContactForm/form-web/en/core-web. Be sure to provide details on your device, car model, and the troubleshooting steps you’ve tried.

Waze is also active on social media for customer support, so you can try reaching out on Facebook or Twitter. Direct messaging them with your issue may help get personalized troubleshooting advice.

With direct support from the Waze team, you’re much more likely to resolve any lingering audio issues over Bluetooth. They can dig into the details of your case and suggest solutions you may not have tried yet.

Summary

If you can’t hear Waze audio through your car’s Bluetooth system, there are a few troubleshooting steps to try:

First, check your Waze app settings to ensure Bluetooth audio is enabled. You can also try toggling the microphone permission for Waze in your phone’s app permissions. Reconnecting the app with your car’s Bluetooth can help reset the connection.

Interference from other apps using audio resources could also cause issues, so try closing all other apps before using Waze. Make sure the Waze app is fully up-to-date, as the developers often issue fixes for Bluetooth bugs.

As a last resort, restart your phone and reset the Waze app. This clears any glitches that could be interrupting the audio. You can also double check your car’s Bluetooth system to rule out issues there.

With some systematic debugging, Bluetooth audio problems in Waze can typically be resolved. Don’t hesitate to contact Waze customer support if you still can’t get it working after trying these suggestions.

Why can’t I hear Waze on my Bluetooth?