Not content with merely giving directions and warning drivers about traffic tie-ups, potholes, accidents, police activity, and speed traps, the Waze driver social network now seeks to spark joy during your commute as well. In a brand refresh that’s rolling out today, Google’s Waze app for iOS and Android aims for simplicity and consistency in the app’s interface and information ecosystem, with an emphasis on community immersion to enhance your driving pleasure.
Like Waze itself, the visual makeover stems from community input of Waze’s users, including a study conducted with 13,000 drivers and supplemented by conversations and meetups. “We needed to give our community more avenues to express themselves through the brand,” said Jake Shaw, head of Creative, in a blog post accompanying the release. “This started with their experience of the app and our mission to make their time on the road more fun.”
The new Waze update takes a warm, non-tech approach that stimulates emotion via a combination of color, moods, and icons, augmented by the app’s website and social channels. It’s the opposite of minimalist. “We’re chasing something that’s friendly, that’s organic and joyful. A lot of brands are scared of color. We’re not,” Shaw said.
If you’re a dedicated Waze user, you’ve no doubt noticed a section of the app entitled Moods, which lets you choose from among dozens of expressive avatars that reflect your current emotions — but only after you’ve driven over 100 miles under the app’s influence. Until then, only a single mood — Waze Newbie — is available for newcomers. The new Moods feature is a work in progress but aims to foster community in transmitting to fellow Wazers how you are feeling about your travels at the moment. Specialty Moods are available to Map Editors and beta testers as a reward for their hard work, the company said.
Waze’s new grid-based block-by-block system denotes the non-road spaces on the map with a consistent design for icons and social posts and brings Waze’s community-built map into the design. The brand update also features a new logo, updated typography, and color changes.
While the Waze rebranding was announced today, the timetable for complete rollout remains unclear, though the company says it will be completed in the next few weeks. For road warriors who rely on the app’s functional features like trip planning, finding the cheapest fuel, or hearing a famous voice navigate your route, Waze’s new updated look will not come a moment too soon.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.