Waze App & iPhones

[shortseller]

What Waze sound setting are you guys using to get audio alerts to work properly in your cars? I'm not equipped with BT enhancement if that matters. Just ditched my Android and I'm fairly clueless here. Any help would be appreciated.

[ontherivet]

I am interested in this as well. The first time I used it after picking up my car, it played through the speakers, with music muting. I had it plugged into into usb though. After the first couple of times, I haven't been able to get sound from waze via BT or usb.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by ontherivet

I am interested in this as well. The first time I used it after picking up my car, it played through the speakers, with music muting. I had it plugged into into usb though. After the first couple of times, I haven't been able to get sound from waze via BT or usb.

I've used both settings, enable thru BT & enable thru phone speakers, not at the same time as it's one or the other, and had mixed results with mostly no audio output. Waze recommends both these settings off for best results(basically on mute) thus using visual only for best results, but what good is that if you have to keep looking at the phone for alerts.

I've also been on the Waze forum, seems it's a problem for many. Nice!

[sleepy75]

I am able to get voice alerts through waze only while I am connected via BT AND streaming music from a playlist. It works 100% of the time for me that way. Why I have to be playing music I don't really understand.

[bigsid05]

You don't need to enable sending it through the phone speaker. The car is just the 'receiver' in this case - you always need to have the iPhone (either via USB or BT) selected as the active input. You won't get Waze alerts if you are listening to a CD/Radio.

[RickFLM4]

I don't seem to have this issue. I start the app, connect iPhone in center console via USB and alerts comes through car speakers. My settings that may be relevant to OP are Sound "On", Prevent auto-lock "On", Play sound to phone speaker "Off", Prefer Bluetooth "On", Mute Waze during calls "On". Note that I only use Waze voice alerts. I do not use navigation and don't look at the screen at all while driving.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I don't seem to have this issue. I start the app, connect iPhone in center console via USB and alerts comes through car speakers. My settings that may be relevant to OP are Sound "On", Prevent auto-lock "On", Play sound to phone speaker "Off", Prefer Bluetooth "On", Mute Waze during calls "On". Note that I only use Waze voice alerts. I do not use navigation and don't look at the screen at all while driving.

Thank you, I will check my settings. So you always run your iPhone plugged into a USB while in the car, even at full charge? That could have been my hit or miss problem, dependent on if I had it plugged in or not. Good tip.

[jwzimm]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I don't seem to have this issue. I start the app, connect iPhone in center console via USB and alerts comes through car speakers. My settings that may be relevant to OP are Sound "On", Prevent auto-lock "On", Play sound to phone speaker "Off", Prefer Bluetooth "On", Mute Waze during calls "On". Note that I only use Waze voice alerts. I do not use navigation and don't look at the screen at all while driving.

The USB connection is what is saving you here. When you connect the phone to the car via USB the car disables the bluetooth music connection (because USB is better). It actually keeps the setting even when you disconnect the phone from USB afterwards. When this happens the phone no longer assumes that all audio is going to the car via bluetooth. It, therefore, will provide audio via the phone's speaker instead.

The problem here is that, when you connect your phone via bluetooth to the car, the phone assumes that ALL audio is going to be output via bluetooth now. That is all well and good if you are listening to music off of your phone via bluetooth but when you are not then the audio goes nowhere. The solution to this would be to go into the bluetooth settings in iDrive and deselect "Music" from the media types for the phone in question. You can leave the phone connection active.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by shortseller

Thank you, I will check my settings. So you always run your iPhone plugged into a USB while in the car, even at full charge? That could have been my hit or miss problem, dependent on if I had it plugged in or not. Good tip.

I always leave it plugged in to USB when in the car. I think Bluetooth music audio sounds awful and since I never look at the phone when driving, the center console is a good place to keep it. So I just leave it plugged in while it is in there.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I always leave it plugged in to USB when in the car. I think Bluetooth music audio sounds awful and since I never look at the phone when driving, the center console is a good place to keep it. So I just leave it plugged in while it is in there.

Used it today as you described above, it worked perfectly, audio & alerts all through car speakers now. Alerts even come up on the top of the Nav screen for a couple of seconds then disappear. Calls in and out while this is going on work as they should as well.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by shortseller

Used it today as you described above, it worked perfectly, audio & alerts all through car speakers now. Alerts even come up on the top of the Nav screen for a couple of seconds then disappear. Calls in and out while this is going on work as they should as well.

You get Waze alerts such as "Police reported ahead" on your nav screen? I don't get those! I see an alert in the form of a little envelope when a text message comes in but that's about it.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

You get Waze alerts such as "Police reported ahead" on your nav screen? I don't get those! I see an alert in the form of a little envelope when a text message comes in but that's about it.

Just the hazard stuff today, didn't come across LEO yet, I'd assumed it would do for all of them, eg "Police Reported", etc. It's funny that Waze would alert some but not all of the reports, through the car speakers. I'll report if it does.

[shortseller]

^ yes, police alerts in audio, & visual in a banner text form top of the Nav screen as you describe above.

For others reading/following this, that have had problems, the mic setting has to be on the off position & audio set to "ALL". This with set to Bluetooth will give you audio responses and text alerts through the car. Mutes with incoming / outgoing calls perfectly.

[nineofspades]

For those who use waze, they now let you turn off certain audio road alerts. So you can turn off all alerts except police, put the thing in your glove compartment and not have to get annoyed by the "car on the shoulder" alert

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

For those who use waze, they now let you turn off certain audio road alerts. So you can turn off all alerts except police, put the thing in your glove compartment and not have to get annoyed by the "car on the shoulder" alert

It would be great if they added red light cameras to the list of alerts you can shut off.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

For those who use waze, they now let you turn off certain audio road alerts. So you can turn off all alerts except police, put the thing in your glove compartment and not have to get annoyed by the "car on the shoulder" alert

I have tried to segment those specific alerts off, roadside, construction, delays, etc, but they keep coming back on with every restart of the app.

[nineofspades]

Originally Posted by shortseller

I have tried to segment those specific alerts off, roadside, construction, delays, etc, but they keep coming back on with every restart of the app.

Weird... Not having any trouble here. Maybe try reinstalling the app?

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

Weird... Not having any trouble here. Maybe try reinstalling the app?

Just thought the same thing, might be a glitch in my download. - I turn them off, green to grey, but then when I return to check them they are back to green, weird. I'll try it.