Waze will now warn drivers when a cyclist riding with a Garmin is close by. Waze and Garmin launched the alerts together, and they're rolling out now to Waze on iPhone and Android in every country.
It works through Garmin LiveTrack, the feature that shares a ride as it happens. When a cyclist turns LiveTrack on from a Garmin Edge bike computer or a Garmin smartwatch, they can choose to show up in Waze. Drivers nearby then see the rider as a moving icon on the map, and they get a notification that a cyclist is near. The idea is simple: slow down, look out, give them room.
Nothing happens unless the rider says yes. Showing up in Waze is opt in, so a cyclist who already uses LiveTrack to let family follow a ride won't suddenly appear on strangers' maps. Waze and Garmin also say the alert tells drivers very little. They see a short warning that someone on a bike is around, and never the rider's name, who they are or the route they're taking. The alerts switch off by themselves the moment the ride ends on the Garmin.
A cyclist without a Garmin, or one who leaves LiveTrack off, is as invisible to the app as before.
A live map of where people ride would be a privacy problem of its own, and this isn't one. A driver can't follow a particular cyclist home or work out where they train. What they get is closer to the hazard warnings Waze already shows for a stalled car or a pothole, except this one moves.
MacRumors reported the launch on November 10. The two companies haven't published a list of which Edge computers and watches qualify, beyond saying the feature works through LiveTrack on Garmin's bike computers and smartwatches. They also haven't said whether drivers can turn the cyclist alerts off.
A driver only gets the warning if they have Waze open, and only riders who have switched it on will show up. A cyclist without a Garmin, or one who leaves LiveTrack off, is as invisible to the app as before. So it's an extra layer, not a reason for anyone on a bike to ride differently.
If you ride with a Garmin Edge or a Garmin watch, the update costs nothing and asks for nothing more than a choice when you start LiveTrack. If you drive with Waze, you don't need to do anything: the alerts arrive with the rollout. Either way, it's one of the more useful things a fitness device has done for someone who doesn't own one.