Waze removes Google Assistant from iPhones, but an improved option might be on the way.

      Jackie Dove / Digital Trends

      If you continue to use Waze as your preferred GPS application, you will notice the removal of a specific feature. Waze is discontinuing its support for Google Assistant in the iOS app.

      A company representative announced on the Waze public forum yesterday that it will gradually eliminate Google Assistant, having spent the last year attempting to fix the functionality. They mentioned that the iOS version of Waze has faced multiple problems with Google’s AI voice chat feature that they have tried to resolve "for over a year" without success, leading to the decision to drop it.

      “As many of you have likely encountered, this feature has not operated as intended for more than a year, and we sincerely apologize for the extended inconvenience,” the representative stated. “Instead of merely patching a feature that has faced persistent issues, we have opted to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow and will introduce an improved voice interaction solution soon. As always, we are committed to keeping you updated and will share more information as we move forward.”

      The representative noted that Google Assistant will remain functional on the Android version of Waze, stating that “it has consistently performed reliably” on that platform, so there is still some hope in that area.

      Details about the specific problems Google Assistant encountered on Waze for iOS are unclear, but the company’s decision to eliminate the feature aligns with Google’s initiative for Gemini. This app is already preinstalled on Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones, and it is now becoming available for iPhone users too. It’s possible that Waze was referencing Gemini when mentioning the “enhanced voice interaction solution,” but it remains uncertain if that will be integrated into the iOS app.

      In the meantime, iPhone users can utilize Siri to launch Waze and request directions to a specified location. However, it will not offer any additional functionality beyond that.

      Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends, providing balanced coverage of topics in the gaming industry.

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