Waze to rollout Tagalog voice command in July

NAVIGATIONAL mobile application Waze will soon have a Tagalog voice command starting July 6 in line with the implementation of the Anti- Distracted Driving Act (ADDA) in the Philippines.

“We’re releasing a whole suite in Tagalog with the voice navigation which will include street names and a Tagalog voice command,” Waze global strategic partnerships manager Mona Weng said in a televised Skype interview on Thursday.

Under the ADDA, which will be implemented in full beginning July 6, the use of electronic entertainment or computing devices to play games, watch movies, surf the internet, compose messages, read e-books, perform calculations and other similar acts are violations.

However, it allows the use of mobile communicating device provided that it is used with a hands-free device or similar gadget but not limited to, a speaker phone, earphones and microphones.

“You can actually update your destinations with voice commands. So that way you don’t have to touch the phone at all,” Weng said.

The Department of Transpor objects on the dashboard will be allowed, provided that it is not higher than four inches from the dashboard.

“Now that there’s the safe zone, you’re able to dock your phones,” Weng said.