Navigation app Waze now lets celebrities give you driving directions

Sick of the same canned voice telling you to keep right on the slip way and continue straight for 500 metres? You’re not alone. Waze knows — so it has decided to fix the problem by partnering with celebrities to give users a fresh spin on usual audio directions.

As part of a new deal with Universal Pictures, the crowdsourced traffic and navigation app has incorporated a new voice option — that of comedian Kevin Hart. In a bid to promote his new movie, the aptly named ‘Ride Along’, Hart recorded a series of voice prompts ranging from telling you to take the third exit at the roundabout to warning you about the pothead in the road ahead. According to Waze, you can access the actor’s audio in the settings menu, under sound, and then selecting “Ride Along” (it’s only available for English speakers).

The partnership is an interesting move for the Israeli startup, which was acquired by Google for a rumoured US$1.3-billion earlier this year. It offers brands access to its 50-million users, while including some additional functionality in the app so they can make use of all that time people spend in traffic. For example, as part of the Universal deal, Waze has added pins in its map which make it easier to quickly switch to voice commands by Hart and purchase early tickets to see the movie.

Wondering what driving along with a comedian in the car would sound like? Waze put together a short clip to give users a taste: