Confused by random Waze icons? This is what each symbol means

Apps make navigation a piece of cake. Would it be faster to take the highway? How much are the tolls, though? Is there a place to stop on the way for gas? There’s an app for that — actually, several. Then again, the last thing you want to see on your route, especially if you’re running late, is a line of cars as far as the eye can see because an accident has caused everything to stop at a standstill. Luckily, today’s navigation apps take care of that, too.

If you’re using Waze, which is one of the top navigational apps on the market, you’ll be able to pick up and head off wherever you need to go without worries that you aren’t going to take the best route. Not only does Waze have software to locate the most efficient route, it uses real-time feedback from users to stay aware of current road conditions. If you’ve used Waze before, you’re probably aware of all of the icons that show up anytime you use the app.

While some of them are self-explanatory, such as hazards, others may be more challenging to decipher, especially while you’re trying to focus on the road. If you want to understand what each of the symbols and icons mean, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a breakdown of all the Waze symbols and their meanings in the Waze Live Map.

Waze

Waze is a navigational app that uses real-time traffic updates from users to inform those on the platform. There are multiple uses and the most famous feature is choosing celebrity voices to guide you.

How to use Waze

Congratulations, you’ve chosen one of the superior navigational apps

Waze runs on a platform that utilizes user info to show real-time traffic conditions. Users can report slowdowns, hazards, traffic jams, collisions, and more, and Waze will update its app’s information to reflect what is going on in real-time. Waze provides you with different routes to your destination and will let you know if a faster route opens up while you’re driving there.

It works with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so it will run through your car’s infotainment system — if your car has the capability. You can also run Waze with voice commands spoken through your car with your smartphone.

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Once you open Waze, type your desired location into the search bar. You can also search on the map to see the surrounding area to where you are and understand the traffic patterns, which is great if you’re just running down the street for something in a familiar place. The map is live, so it represents what’s going on at the exact moment.

After you select your destination, buttons for restaurants, gas stations, EV charging stations, hotels, coffee shops, and more will appear. Waze doesn’t just give you some options, but it shows you them in reference to your original route if you’re adding a stop to a predetermined destination. The user interface is incredibly intuitive, but the icons and symbols can be confusing for those that haven’t used the app often.

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What do the Waze icons and moods mean?

There are a number of them

Waze is laid out in a way that shows both yourself and the other Waze drivers are on the road at a specific time. Waze marks these drivers with an icon, usually a car, and allows you to assign what kind of mood you are in as a driver. Typically, when you start using Waze, your icon is a blue arrow. But you’re able to swap out your icon with a number of different options, including:

• Bus
• Blue car
• Green car
• Race car
• Red car
• Yellow car
• Motorbike
• SUV
• Truck
• Woof wagon
• Meow mobile
• Cloud Nine
• Dirrty Bike
• Pickup Truck

… and a number of other options. These aren’t the only settings that you can change, and you’ll see a number of different icons on the map, as drivers can change these however often they want. Drivers can also change their moods while they are driving, to portray better how a specific driver is feeling.

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Different moods include funny, sunny, zombified, wild, geeky, loved-up, blobby grumpy, mystical, and others. There are a myriad of choices you can make to have fun, and you’ll see all sorts of drivers listing different kinds of moods on their icons on the digitized road.

What are the symbols on the map?

You’ll notice a lot if you’re in big cities

Not only will you see other drivers on the road, but you can also view hazards and traffic in real-time as well.

For starters, take note of the colors of the roads on the Live Map. Blue roads are major highways and green ones are minor highways. Yellow is for a main street while white is a private street. Grey is for a ramp to get on a highway. But these aren’t the only colors you have to keep an eye on, as color also indicates traffic.

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If a road is backed up, it will be highlighted in red, which means you’ll face slow or standstill traffic. The speed limit typically indicates how fast the road is currently traveling, such as 4 mph on a road that’s typically 25 mph.

Orange indicates a slowdown in traffic. You may see other icons on that road that might give you an indication as to why it is slowed down. These icons include red light cameras, construction, a crash, police presence, hazards on the road, weather hazards, or other causes. These are all reported by users to provide better real-time information.

The icons and symbols help you better navigate your travels, and while they can come across as dizzying if you see a lot of them at a time, they’re incredibly helpful. The real-time traffic updates can help you plan your trips ahead of time and avoid things like speed traps or construction.

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As you’re chugging along on your journey, you can even sync up your favorite music apps on the homepage. There’s also the ability to change the guidance voice to a celebrity’s or add a theme that lets you customize the app even more.

While Waze has a lot going on, it’s one of the more customizable navigational apps out there, and because of this, it has proven to be a user favorite.