A message from Gai
Dear Waze Community,
I’d like to start by saying a heartfelt thank you for such an incredible year of collaboration and growth.
As always, I am so impressed by your impactful contributions across the board, whether it’s map editing, localization, or Beta testing of the Waze app. You’ve truly made a huge impact this past year! Your ongoing commitment isn’t just a contribution; it’s a partnership that directly empowers us to shape Waze into the ultimate driving companion the world needs.
Your unwavering dedication to ensuring Wazers safely reach their destinations, powered by your essential hyperlocal insights, is a source of daily inspiration for the entire Waze staff. It is a privilege to share this mission with you, and as we look to the year ahead, I am excited to see what we achieve next together.
Once more, thank you. Let’s look forward to a fantastic new year ahead!
Gai Berkovich, Waze General Manager
A special note from Hila
Dear Waze Community,
I am incredibly proud of the healthy, meaningful growth we achieved together this past year. Seeing the growth of active new editors, the wealth of Traffic Events added to the map and the invaluable feedback you provided to our Staff members across the organization has been nothing short of inspiring. After over a decade of this shared journey with our communities around the globe, witnessing our community thrive like this truly makes my heart full.
Wishing you and your beloved ones a wonderful New Year. Let’s keep this momentum going together. Remember, we are here for whatever you need!
Thanks for all your contributions,
Hila Roth, Waze Communities Group Manager
Events
Localization Online Meetup
Registration is open for the 3rd Annual Localization Online Meetup! Join us on Sunday, January 25, 2026 from 14:00 - 18:15 GMT+2. Our speakers will include Waze developers, UX writers, translation experts and more! Register here.
Office Hours: year-end wrap up
Watch the replay of our December Office Hours, where we celebrated what our communities achieved in 2025, sharing our favorite memories from the past year.
2025 achievement highlights
Africa Map Raid
232 map editors from 53 countries collaborated to add over 420,000 new segments to the Waze map in East Africa. A huge improvement in coverage.
Major Sporting Events
Because of your added closures, traffic flow couldn’t have been more optimized during the races for locals and fans alike at these major events: Giro D’Italia, Tour de France, La Vuelta in Spain, Le Mans France, and the UCI World Championships in Rwanda.
Pope’s Funeral
During the Pope’s funeral this past April, the Italian community ensured accurate road closures on this significant day. Special thank you for leading this vital effort.
Global First Response
Our editors came to the rescue during natural disasters that affected local communities around the world: LA Fires, Texas Floods, Israel Fires, Mexico Floods, Hurricane Melissa and more.
Improved Gas Prices
By validating over 40,000 PURs the communities played a huge role in improving the coverage and accuracy of gas prices.
Academy courses
Five WME courses were launched this year! These new resources allow editors and partners worldwide to upskill their mapping abilities and learn more about the map structure. A big thank you to the dedicated editors who ensured the content was accurate and ready for launch!
That’s a wrap!
To close out this newsletter, we wanted to share a look at what we’ve worked on this year—shining a spotlight on you and the incredible contributions our editors make every day. Watch the video.
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