What is a Voice Prompt?
Voice prompts are pre-recorded voice instructions that Waze uses to provide turn-by-turn directions. These recordings sound natural and can be customized by language, voice, and theme. However, unlike text-to-speech (TTS) voices, voice prompts don’t include street names.
Want to add a new voice prompt for your language?
First, reach out to the Community manager for mandatory approval. Once approved, follow the steps below:
Note: Each language has a limited number of voices. Adding new ones will depend on the Waze voices team’s priorities and workload.
Step 1: Get the script translated to your language
- If you’d like to add a new language that’s not yet supported in Waze: The language needs to first be integrated into the Waze app. Only after this can voice prompts be added for the language. To inquire about translating a new language within the app, please contact waze-localization-community@google.com.
- If you’re adding another voice to an existing language: Send an email to waze-localization-community@google.com
- If you’re adding a new voice: Make a copy of the script and translate it
Step 2: Find a voice talent
This could be either a community member or a public figure in your country. If it’s a public figure, email Waze-Voices@google.com with the following information:
- A link to their brief bio
- Links to their social media (if available)
- A link to their Wikipedia page
- Any other useful links (such as YouTube clips and news articles)
Important:
- Please make sure that the person you choose doesn’t have a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) record
- Don’t proceed to the next step until you get approval from Waze
Step 3: Get your talent on board and send a voice sample
Once you’ve chosen a voice talent, make sure you tell them that this is a 100% volunteer project. Then, follow these steps:
- Send the talent’s details and voice samples to Waze-Voices@google.com. Note that voice samples don’t need to be recorded professionally. Having the talent read a few instructions can often be enough.
- Once Waze approves the voice sample, fill out and send back the signed agreement
Step 4: Choose a recording studio and get the cost approved before recording
Make sure to choose a professional studio that can deliver high-quality recordings without the need to re-record. Once you finalize on a recording studio, follow these steps:
- Email the studio the Waze Recording Guidelines and confirm that they can follow them
- Submit a written price quote from the studio. This should include their proposed hourly rate and estimated time for recording and post-production.
Note: Recording typically takes around 2 to 3 hours, while post-production takes around 1 to 2 hours. - Get the quote approved by Waze
- Schedule a recording session
Important: Make sure that the recording studio accepts payments via PayPal or credit card. The studio and price breakdown must be approved by Waze before recording begins. Waze is not responsible for any costs incurred before approval or unapproved price changes.
Step 5: Record the voice prompt
You’re now ready to record! Follow these steps before the recording session:
- Email the studio and audio engineer the Waze Recording Guidelines and confirm that they can meet the quality standards
- Give a printed copy of the above guidelines to the audio engineer
- Explain to the studio management and audio engineer that these guidelines must be followed or payment won’t be sent
Important: Please ask the voice talent to speak slowly and clearly while recording.
Step 6: Wait for approval
Please keep in mind the following while you wait for approval:
- Quality and accuracy are the most important factors to getting voice prompts approved
- Approval can take up to 3 weeks
- If the Waze Recording Guidelines weren’t followed, the studio must re-record
- An unclear recording or missing file may require an additional session
Step 7: Submit for testing and Community feedback
Once your voice prompts are recorded, they’ll go into testing before being released in the Waze app. If you’d like to add people to the testing group, email their usernames with the voice prompt name to be tested to Waze-Voices@google.com. The community may also provide feedback at this stage.
Step 8: Go live
After approval and testing is complete, your voice will be available to millions of users worldwide!