How to Create Custom Voices in Waze: A Complete Guide

Beyond the Built-In Voices

If you’ve used Waze for any length of time, you’ve probably already cycled through many of the app’s quirky voices for your drives. It’s one of the reasons why Waze is better than Google Maps in terms of personalization. When you’re tired of one voice, you can just pick a new one from at least 200 navigation voices across multiple languages. For English alone, there are over 80 different options.

But even with this wide selection of voices, you might eventually feel like none of them really speak to you personally. Fortunately, there’s a hidden Waze feature that lets you create custom voices to be used for navigation.

Benefit	Why It Matters
Familiar Voice	Hear your spouse, mom, or friend while on the road
Personal Twist	Put your own spin on navigation prompts
Fun Experience	Make your daily drive more exciting
Full Control	Record as many or as few lines as you want

Why Create a Custom Waze Voice?

This option can come in handy when you prefer to hear a familiar voice while you’re on the road. You can even put your own twist on the navigation prompts to make the drive more exciting.

Use Case	Example
Family Road Trips	Record your kids’ voices for fun prompts
Gift for a Loved One	Surprise someone with their own voice as their navigation
Personal Motivation	Record encouraging messages for your commute
Humor	Create funny prompts to keep drives entertaining

How to Create a Custom Voice in Waze

You can create your own voices in Waze right from the in-app settings.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open Waze.
Go to the hamburger menu in the top-left corner.
Press Settings.
Select Voice and sound.
Under Voice, choose Current voice.
Tap New voice.
Hit OK to proceed.
When prompted, give Waze access to your microphone. You might be asked to open the Settings app to allow the permission.
From here, you can now start recording the lines:
- Tap one line.
- Press the button to record.
- Say the prompt.
- To stop recording, hit the blue square.
- To hear the recorded line, replay it by selecting the blue play icon.
- Once satisfied, press Save and proceed to the next line.
After you’re done going through all the phrases—or if you prefer not to record everything—choose the Save/Done button in the upper right corner.
You’ll be prompted to add a name for the custom voice.
Waze will then set your custom voice as the current navigation voice automatically.

Important Requirement: All of the lines need to be six seconds or shorter.

Fallback Behavior: For any phrase you didn’t record, Waze will default to using one of the built-in voices.

Recording Tips and Requirements

Requirement	Details
Line Length	6 seconds or shorter per phrase
Microphone Access	Must be granted in Settings
Recording Environment	Quiet space for clear audio
Partial Recording	Allowed—unrecorded lines use built-in voices

Tips for Better Recordings

Tip	Why It Helps
Record in a quiet room	Minimizes background noise
Speak clearly	Ensures Waze can recognize prompts
Keep a consistent tone	Creates a more natural listening experience
Test each line	Use the play icon to verify before saving
Have fun with it	Custom voices are meant to be enjoyable

How to Delete a Custom Voice

If you want to delete the personalized Waze voice you made:

Navigate to Voice and sound in the Settings.
Go to Current voice.
Tap your custom voice.
Find the Delete voice option at the very bottom of the page.

Pro Tip: You can always create a new custom voice later if you change your mind.

Other Waze Voice Settings

If you simply want to get less frequent alerts—one of the reasons some users dislike Waze—you can enable the new Less Chatty setting.

Setting	What It Does
Less Chatty	Reduces the frequency of voice alerts
Current Voice	Change your navigation voice
Voice and Sound	Access all voice-related settings

Comparison Table: Waze Voice Options

Voice Type	Availability	Customizable?	Best For
Built-In Voices	200+ across languages	❌ No	Quick selection
English Voices	80+ options	❌ No	Variety without recording
Custom Voice	Record your own	✅ Yes	Personalization, familiar voices
Partial Custom	Record some lines	✅ Yes	Blending custom and built-in

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I create a custom voice in Waze?
A: Go to Settings > Voice and sound > Current voice > New voice, then record each navigation prompt.

Q: How long can each recorded line be?
A: Each line must be six seconds or shorter.

Q: Can I record only some of the lines?
A: Yes. Any phrase you don’t record will default to a built-in Waze voice.

Q: How do I delete a custom voice?
A: Go to Settings > Voice and sound > Current voice, tap your custom voice, and select “Delete voice” at the bottom.

Q: What is the “Less Chatty” setting?
A: It reduces the frequency of voice alerts, making Waze less talkative during navigation.

Q: Can I use someone else’s voice for my Waze navigation?
A: Yes, with their permission. You can record your spouse, mom, or friend’s voice to use as your navigation voice.

Q: How many built-in voices does Waze offer?
A: Waze offers at least 200 navigation voices across multiple languages, with over 80 options for English alone.

Quick Reference Summary

Task	Steps
Create Custom Voice	Settings > Voice and sound > Current voice > New voice
Record Lines	Tap line → Record → Stop → Save → Next line
Finish Recording	Tap Save/Done in upper right → Name your voice
Delete Custom Voice	Settings > Voice and sound > Current voice > Custom voice > Delete voice
Reduce Alerts	Enable “Less Chatty” setting

Final Thoughts

Waze’s custom voice feature is one of those hidden gems that transforms your daily drive from routine to personal. Whether you want to hear a loved one’s voice giving you directions or simply add your own personality to the navigation experience, the process is straightforward and fun.

The bottom line: With over 200 built-in voices and the ability to create your own, Waze offers the most personalized navigation experience of any map app. So why settle for a stranger’s voice when you can have a familiar one?