Using Waze App with iPhone - Gen 2 fix

When using the Waze app in my 2009 Prius - only rarely would the Waze voice be heard. I could never reliably get the Waze app to speak its driving direction commands. If I wanted to use Waze, I had to compromise and use it mute. It is annoying having to look down at the phone constantly to see the next prompt.

I discovered an interesting fix: When you first get in the Prius and start the Waze app - Use the Prius touch screen and call the phone you are using in the car. You'll hear the call come into through the Prius telephone system. Just press the red 'stop' icon on the touchscreen and hang up. This action resets the configuration between the phone and the Prius. Your phone will now annunciate the Waze voice commands first time - every time. Wacky but it works!

 

This fix is only to get the phone to speak the Waze commands. It has nothing to do with getting the Waze voice into the Prius sound system.

 

This is 'chicken or the egg.' Without any physical interconnection - or Prius touchscreen prompts directed to the phone - The phone itself will not annunciate what Waze has to say. When you use the trick I discovered, the phone miraculously starts to talk all the Waze commands I could not previously hear. It makes a world of difference to me. Obviously, I am clearing some prohibition the Prius sends to my phone to be quiet - probably because it is hoping to link to the phone (maybe) via Bluetooth?? In any case, this clears my problem. Your experiences may vary. Please share them. Thanks for the chat.