For years, Waze has been a go-to navigation app for drivers seeking real-time alerts about traffic, police, and hazards, all powered by its active user community. However, one seemingly basic feature has been conspicuously absent: the ability to see traffic lights on the map. This gap has become more pronounced since Google Maps, which shares a parent company with Waze, introduced the feature in 2022. Now, after years of user requests and a confirmation earlier this year, Waze is finally taking its first steps toward integrating traffic light data, beginning with a limited test in a single country.
Waze Initiates Early Testing for Traffic Light Indicators
According to reports from the Israeli publication GeekTime, Waze has begun a very early, limited test of traffic light indicators on its navigation maps. The test is currently confined to Israel, with no official timeline for a broader rollout. During active turn-by-turn navigation, the test reportedly shows a maximum of three traffic light icons at a time along the route. This intentional limitation is designed to prevent the map interface from becoming cluttered and overwhelming for the driver. When a user is simply browsing the map without an active route, the app displays all traffic lights near the current location, providing a more comprehensive view of nearby intersections.
Feature Status & Testing Details
- Feature: Traffic light display on navigation map.
- Development Status: In early, limited testing.
- Test Location: Israel only.
- Test Behavior During Navigation: Shows a maximum of 3 traffic light icons at a time.
- Test Behavior (Map Browsing): Shows all traffic lights near current location.
- Company Confirmation: Waze confirmed traffic light support was a planned feature in May 2025.
A Long-Awaited Feature Confirmed for Development
The desire for traffic light support in Waze is not new; it has been a highly requested feature from the user base for many years. The company formally acknowledged these requests in May of this year, confirming that displaying traffic lights was a planned feature on its development roadmap. This confirmation gave the community hope that the feature would eventually materialize. Given that Google owns both Waze and Google Maps, there is significant potential for Waze to leverage the extensive traffic light data already mapped by Google Maps, particularly in regions like the United States, which could accelerate a wider deployment once the initial testing phase is complete.
Competitive Context
- Google Maps: Introduced traffic light display in 2022.
- Potential Advantage for Waze: As a Google-owned company, Waze could potentially integrate Google Maps' existing traffic light data in future rollouts.
Strategic Implications for the Navigation App Landscape
The introduction of traffic lights represents a meaningful, if incremental, update for Waze. While the app's core strength remains its crowdsourced, real-time data on road conditions, the addition of static infrastructure like traffic lights brings it closer to feature parity with comprehensive mapping platforms like Google Maps and Apple Maps. For some drivers, especially those in complex urban environments, advance notice of an upcoming traffic signal is a valuable cue for anticipating stops and managing speed. This update could help Waze retain users who might otherwise switch to a competitor for this specific functionality, while its unique community-driven alerts continue to be its primary differentiator.
The Road Ahead for Waze's Feature Set
The current test in Israel is just the beginning. The strict limit of three lights during navigation suggests Waze is prioritizing a clean user experience, but it remains to be seen how this will evolve. Future iterations may allow users to adjust these settings or could expand the display based on route complexity. Looking beyond traffic lights, some users and commentators have expressed a desire for Waze to also display other critical road features like crosswalks, which Google Maps already shows. Adding such elements would further enhance situational awareness for drivers, contributing to the app's overarching goal of making every journey safer and more predictable. For now, the global Waze community will be watching the Israeli test closely, waiting for the day when traffic lights become a standard part of their navigation view.