Waze today announced it is rolling out three new features in its popular crowdsourced navigation app for iOS and Android, the most notable of which is support for high occupancy vehicle lanes, also known as carpool lanes.

waze carpool

If you are driving with at least one passenger, or have a hybrid or electric vehicle with a special permit, Waze will now take carpool lanes on highways into consideration when determining your optional route.

If you are carpooling, the feature can enabled under Navigation > Add Toll/HOV pass within Waze's in-app settings. If you have a fuel-efficient vehicle, it can be selected as an option under Navigation > Vehicle Type.

Carpool lane support is initially available to Waze users in 22 states across the United States, and in the Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. More cities in the United States and Canada will be added over time.

The states supported include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Washington D.C. is also supported.

Next, a new "OK Waze" voice command allows for true hands-free use, allowing drivers to initiate navigation, get a preview of the route ahead, send traffic-related reports, add stops along the way, and more while staying focused on the road ahead. The feature can be enabled under Sound & Voice > Talk to Waze > OK Waze.

ok waze
Talk to Waze is initially available to English-speaking Waze users in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and will continually roll out in more languages soon.

Last, Waze now supports motorcycles as a vehicle type. In this mode, motorcycle riders will be directed on routes optimized for motorcyclists. Waze says the more motorcyclists ride in this mode, the smarter the routing will become.

Waze is a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone. Today's update doesn't appear to be available yet, although "OK Waze" functionality is working, so some changes may be implemented on the backend.

Popular Stories

Gurman: New M2 iPad Pro Models to Be Announced 'In a Matter of Days'

Saturday October 15, 2022 10:44 am PDT by Sami Fathi

Apple will announce new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models in "a matter of days," respected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said today in his latest Power On newsletter. The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch models, codenamed J617 and J620, will be the first update to the higher-end iPad since April 2021, where both models gained the M1 chip and a new 12.-9-inch mini-LED display. For their...

iOS 16 Features an All-New iPhone Keyboard Layout Option

iOS 16 adds native support for the Dvorak keyboard layout on the iPhone, providing users with an alternative to the standard QWERTY layout. The newly added option was noted by @aaronp613 and others back in July, but the feature stayed largely under the radar until it was highlighted this week by Ars Technica and The Verge. Dvorak was designed to make two-handed typing faster and more...

Upcoming 11-Inch iPad Pro Rumored to Miss Out on Mini-LED Display

Sunday October 16, 2022 9:03 am PDT by Sami Fathi

The upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro will feature the same LED Liquid Retina Display found in the current generation model and not the newer mini-LED display technology found in the larger 12.9-inch size, reliable display analyst Ross Young said today. Replying in a tweet, Young reaffirmed previous rumors that the upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro will not gain the newer mini-LED display technology,...

Apple Has Worked on Docking Accessory That Would Turn the iPad Into a Smart Home Display

Saturday October 15, 2022 11:33 am PDT by Sami Fathi

Apple has worked on a docking accessory for the iPad that would allow customers to transform the device into a smart home display, similar to Google's approach with the Pixel Tablet. During Google's last event, it announced it would offer a charging speaker dock that magnetically attaches to the back of the upcoming Pixel Tablet, essentially turning it into a smart home display like the Nest ...

10 Cutting Edge Features to Expect From Apple's Upcoming AR/VR Headset

Friday October 14, 2022 3:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple next year is planning to enter a new product category, launching its first mixed reality headset. Rumors indicate that the upcoming headset will support both AR and VR technology, and that it will have features that will outshine competing products. Render created by Ian Zelbo based on rumored information With the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Apple's hardware and software led it to...

Apple Acknowledges 'SIM Not Supported' Bug Impacting iPhone 14 Users

Monday October 17, 2022 12:23 am PDT by Sami Fathi

Apple has acknowledged yet another iOS 16 bug impacting customers of the iPhone 14, this time related to cellular data and SIM card support. In a memo seen by MacRumors, Apple acknowledges that some users of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max may see a message that reads "SIM Not Supported" appear on their device. After displaying the pop-up message, the...

Top Stories: iOS 16.0.3 Released, iPhone SE 4 and Apple TV Rumors, and More

We're right around the midpoint of October now and we've yet to see any signs of an Apple media event to introduce new iPad and Mac hardware, so it's looking increasingly likely that rumors of the announcements coming via press release rather than an event are correct. The last week of the month may end up being fairly busy with iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura releases and potentially some of that...

Five New Features Coming to Your iPhone With iOS 16.1 Later This Month

Tuesday October 11, 2022 6:39 am PDT by Sami Fathi

In a few weeks, Apple will release iOS 16.1 for all compatible iPhones, marking the first major update to the iOS 16 operating system since its public release in September. With iOS 16.1, Apple is bringing several new changes, features, and bug fixes to iPhone users. We've highlighted five noteworthy changes below. iOS 16.1 is currently still in beta testing with developers and public beta...