Here’s How to Get Different Colored Roads on Waze (And What They Actually Mean)

Waze works a lot like Google Maps (it’s also owned by Google) in that both use visual aids to inform users of what’s happening around them. In particular, Waze has quirky, colorful icons, usually placed by the rest of the community, but it also uses colors in general to help you discern the mood of an area. For example, dark yellow and orange roads tell you that there is currently light to medium traffic. As expected, the color red indicates heavy traffic and significant slowdowns.

Typically, these color-coded roads appear by default when using the app, but you can also enable them by opening the menu (three lines at the top left), going to Settings > Map Display, and making sure the “Traffic Flow” or “Show on Traffic on Map” options are enabled. This default view is one of the service’s two color options. The other is a color scheme used to indicate when map editing is active. The difference between them is that in edit mode, roads and accesses are highlighted to indicate what type of road it is, relative to traffic flow, so you can easily see where major and minor highways, on- and off-ramps, parking lots, private roads, etc. are located.

You can actually enable edit mode the same way you would enable traffic indicators. Under Settings > Map Display > Type, select Map Editors. This is the only other option besides Default. For the most part, the colors of the roads and lines in Waze will tell you how bad the traffic is along your route, and that’s it.

Depending on traffic, Waze may use several different shades of the same color. You will most often see it with the color red. The intensity of the red on the screen reveals how bad the traffic is. Light red means moderate traffic, which does not necessarily indicate a significant slowdown. This just tells you that traffic is congested and may or may not get worse.

Standard red, a little darker and a little less transparent, means that traffic has actually progressed to the point of slowing or stopping. Dark red means real bumper-to-bumper traffic, major slowdown, definite travel time changes, and that’s something you probably want to avoid completely if you can help it, when planning your trips.

Besides these colors, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the meanings of all the icons and emojis in Waze, as they also tell you specific things. Traffic and road condition icons are particularly important because they indicate when and where an accident has occurred, where a police trap might be located, or when roads are closed and other Wazers (Waze users) need help. In a face-off between Google Maps and Waze for navigation alone, Maps always wins. But for Waze fans, all those user avatars, icons, colors, and theme-like additions really make a huge difference, and that’s something.

The current Waze map editor is a desktop tool accessible in a browser. Anyone can edit maps as long as you sign in with the same account you use on Waze proper. This allows community members to make necessary adjustments, for example when an address is incorrect or streets are missing on the map. Community support is one of the reasons why Waze is both better and worse than Google Maps. Map Editor’s color style allows you to use the app, even on mobile, to see street and road types and better understand what you’re looking at from a logistical perspective.

Presumably, you won’t use your Waze app in this mode all the time, only when you plan to make adjustments or need to identify areas where changes are needed. This is also why it is not the default color mode. Not everyone is interested in changing or updating Waze maps; some people just want to use the service as a navigation tool.

Editing maps is different from placing or updating icons you encounter while traveling, identifying dangers – these are usually shared by users. Anyone can do it, and also from the Waze app. With Waze open:

1. Tap the yellow danger icon at the bottom right.
2. It will ask you what you consider a subcategory, like traffic, accidents, police, or blocked lanes, so select what is most relevant.
3. Press the Report button.

You may be asked for more information, such as exactly where on the map the icon is located or which direction the road is blocked.

As mentioned, the unique colors used in the map editing mode, or editing theme, tell you precisely what type of road you’re looking at. Purple is used for highways, a color you’ll see exclusively in map editing mode. You won’t see it in Waze’s default mode. In fact, people who accidentally enabled editing mode found themselves confused by the different colors on the screen. Other colors are blue for major highways, green for minor highways, yellow for major streets and county highways, medium or dark gray for standard streets and local roads, light gray for parking lots, and dark gray for ramps.

Road colors and styles may differ from country to country, so it is best to use these colors as a reference in the United States. If you want to see this for yourself, you can easily enable the mode from the Waze app, check it, then turn it off and return to normal. It won’t hurt anything and you won’t be locked into a particular theme or mode. Again, this can be done by going to Settings > Map Display > Type, then selecting Map Editors.