Are you tired of the same voice that your GPS speaks? Waze has a solution: The famous car navigation app unveiled Tuesday three new voices that are inspired by French accents to help you navigate.
The mobile app launched a poll via social networks asking Internet users to vote for their favorite accent. The ch’ti accents, Toulouse accents and Provencal accents won out.
“The two neutral voices didn’t represent the territory’s diversity, but they are an application for and by motorists. “We wanted voices that looked like us,” says Jerome Marty (general manager of Waze France), to 20 Minutes colleagues.
Waze saw things not in half. Each new voice has its own accent and uses expressions that are typical of the region.
If you select “Biloute”, the ch’ti option, you might hear phrases such as “Ablouqueta cheinture!” “, “Don’t go at maximum speed!” or “Attenchion biloute”. “Mireille”, the Provencal option, will warn you to not be “fada” when there are “a lot of cars”. Final, “Antonin”, the Toulouse option, will use the expressions “branquignole”, boudu”, a m’en don” and “chocolatine” without hesitation.
It’s easy to set up one of these voices for your smartphone: Go to Waze, click “Settings”, then “Voices and Sounds”, and choose your favorite.
Waze isn’t at its best yet. Waze already allowed users to choose from a “1970s DJ”, a “1980s gym instructor”, a “1990s pop singer” or even a cat and dog as their GPS voice.
Don’t worry if you prefer a Franco-Comte or Alsatian accent to your voice. The app allows you to record your voice.
