Waze, the popular navigation app, has announced the removal of Google Assistant integration from its iOS platform, effective March 27, 2025. This decision follows over a year of unresolved technical issues that have hindered the feature’s functionality.
Initially introduced to iOS users in August 2020, Google Assistant allowed drivers to perform hands-free operations within Waze, such as reporting traffic incidents, adjusting routes, and accessing real-time information without diverting attention from the road. This integration aimed to enhance driving safety and convenience by minimizing manual interactions with the app.
Despite its promising start, the integration faced persistent technical challenges on the iOS platform. Users reported frequent malfunctions, including unresponsive voice commands and intermittent feature availability. These issues led to a subpar user experience, prompting Waze to reassess the viability of maintaining Google Assistant support on iOS devices.
In a statement on Waze’s public forums, a company representative acknowledged the ongoing difficulties:
> “We’d like to share an update with you regarding Google Assistant on Waze iOS. As many of you have likely experienced, this feature has not been working as intended for over a year, and we sincerely apologize for the prolonged inconvenience.”
The representative further explained the decision to discontinue the feature:
> “Rather than simply patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties, we’ve decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow and replace it with an enhanced voice interaction solution in the near future. As always, we are committed to keeping you informed and will share more details as we progress.”
This move aligns with Google’s broader strategy to transition from Google Assistant to its new AI-driven platform, Gemini. While Waze has not explicitly confirmed this, the forthcoming “enhanced voice interaction solution” is anticipated to involve Gemini integration. However, until this new system is implemented, iOS users will experience a gap in voice command functionality within the app.
It’s important to note that Google Assistant will continue to function seamlessly on Waze for Android, where it has consistently performed reliably. This distinction underscores the platform-specific challenges faced by the iOS integration.
The removal of Google Assistant from Waze on iOS highlights the complexities involved in integrating advanced voice recognition technologies across different operating systems. As Waze works towards introducing a more robust voice interaction feature, users are encouraged to stay updated through official channels for forthcoming announcements.
