Latest Waze update adds a useful feature that’s been missing for too long

Although Google has two popular navigation apps for iPhone and Android, the Waze and Google Maps experiences are not identical. Waze offers a simpler navigation user interface that focuses on community information, with incident reports used to improve real-time navigation. Google Maps is more complex, offering more detailed maps, as well as several features allowing users to discover nearby places of interest and Gemini AI integration. Over time, Google integrated Waze’s incident reports into Google Maps, without turning Waze into a replica of Google Maps. But Google has worked to bring to Waze a useful navigation feature available in Google Maps: support for traffic lights, a feature that some Waze users have started to notice in the app.

Reddit user yayoshorti posted the following screenshot on the social platform in early June 2026, showing the presence of traffic lights on the map. The user asked the community when Waze added the feature, and other users responded that the feature has been available to them in the app for weeks. But the rollout isn’t complete: Not all Waze users see traffic lights while navigating, including users who are Waze editors, according to replies on the thread. On the other hand, some Waze users have confirmed that traffic light support has been in testing for a while in various markets, as part of Waze’s beta testing.

Separately, 9to5Google noted that the feature has been in testing since December 2025, but more Waze users are starting to see it in the app. It’s unclear when Waze will release this feature more widely.

Google Maps wasn’t even the first popular mobile navigation app to display traffic lights. Apple Maps rolled out this feature in early 2020, as part of the iOS 13 update for iPhone. Google began testing traffic lights for Google Maps in July 2020, when some Android users spotted traffic lights and stop signs in the app. However, it took over a year for Google to actually roll out the feature, with Google releasing a richer map design in April 2022 including stop signs and traffic lights.

The purpose of having traffic lights on navigation maps is not to speed up the navigation experience. You can’t set a route from point A to point B and direct the app to avoid all traffic lights like you can with other route options, including tolls and highways. It may be impossible to plan such routes because traffic lights are common, especially in large cities. But there’s a navigation-related reason why traffic lights appear in Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. These road features can improve navigation by providing drivers with more contextual information about their route.

Traffic lights can be used as landmarks during navigation. For example, Apple has emphasized more natural navigation experiences in Apple Maps. Instead of Siri telling users to turn left in 500 meters, it could tell them to turn left at the next traffic light. Google explained in 2022 that more detailed road design in Google Maps can make the experience of driving on unfamiliar roads less stressful. Traffic lights, stop signs, and the actual shape of the road can inform drivers of what to expect and make the driving experience safer because drivers can make fewer last-minute lane changes to ensure they don’t miss the right turn.

Google was quick to follow Apple’s lead with traffic lights in Google Maps. The early 2022 redesign offered users more detailed maps intended to improve the navigation experience by presenting a more accurate road representation than before. Traffic lights were part of the rich Google Maps experience, alongside key road details like the shape and width of the road, with Google including medians and islands you might see while driving. Additionally, the Google Maps update included “improved details such as building outlines and areas of interest.” The update was bigger than just displaying traffic lights and stop signs. But Google Maps isn’t just for driving. You can navigate a familiar or foreign city with Google Maps by walking or using public transportation. Google Maps also makes it easy to quickly discover restaurants, stores, and other businesses along the way.

Since Google consolidated its Google Maps and Waze teams in late 2022, Google Maps and Waze users may have been expecting a more cohesive experience between the two apps. However, Waze remains a standalone app that offers a simpler, efficiency-focused browsing experience. Crowdsourced incident reporting is Waze’s flagship feature, one that users loved because it saved them time by getting around traffic faster than Google Maps and other apps. The visual appearance of maps in Waze doesn’t seem as prominent as that of Google Maps. However, this is just speculation based on what Google has done in recent years with Google Maps and Waze.

Involving the Waze community in rolling out traffic light support is also important. A Waze article from February 2026 states that Waze editors level 3 or higher can add traffic lights to maps.