Drive With the Wizard of Oz on Waze

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Drive With the Wizard of Oz on Waze

Drive With the Wizard of Oz on Waze

Waze now lets you make your daily drives more whimsical by enabling a Wizard of Oz-themed experience, complete with voices, characters, and map styles from the classic. Here’s what it does, how to turn it on, what works well (and not so well), and whether it’s more novelty than productivity boost.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

September 28, 2025

Ever wanted Dorothy, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion guiding your route instead of a generic GPS voice?

Here's a Cool Tip: Drive with the Wizard of Oz on Waze.

Waze’s new Wizard of Oz overlay brings just that: when activated, characters chime in with navigation prompts ("turn left," "heavy traffic ahead") and sprinkle in memorable lines from the original film.

You can also choose your “mood” (how your avatar appears), e.g. “Ruby Slippers” and drive a stylized “Emerald” classic car on the map.

This isn’t just a gimmick dropped out of nowhere.

It’s timed to tie in with “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere,” a live immersive experience in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Waze has rolled out similar themed experiences before (like How to Train Your Dragon) , so Oz is its latest “playful overlay” in a longer line of experiments.

What You’ll Gain

A bit of fun and novelty during your daily commute
A fresh visual/audio change that can break monotony
A conversation starter or surprise for friends/passengers

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's how to do it.

On iOS / Android

Update your Waze app to the latest version ( iOS / Android).
Open Waze.
In the left-side sidebar (tap the menu “☰” or swipe), tap the "Pick a Sidekick".
Tap the “Wizard of Oz” banner.
Toggle on Voice directions, Car icon and Mood.
Begin navigation as normal. You’ll hear Oz-themed voice prompts and see the themed vehicle and avatar.
To disable, return to the sidebar > Wizard of Oz banner > untoggle.

fig. 1 - Ride with the Wizard of Oz on Waze

Pros and Cons

Pros

Adds fun and surprise to something routine (driving).
Simple to toggle on/off, no heavy setup.
Doesn’t interfere with core navigation or route accuracy.
Good for themed events, social shareability, or just breaking up the daily indignities of traffic.

Cons

It’s mostly cosmetic.
Doesn’t seem to benefit professional use.
As with any novelty feature, long-term usage may wear off.

Who Can Use It?

General public since it seems open to all users.
No subscription required.
Currently available globally in English.

Score

Criterion | Score| Justification

Value 5
Fun and nice for breaking monotony, but adds little substantive productivity or routing advantage.

Usability 8
Easy to turn on/off, simple UI, minimal configuration needed.

Wow Factor 7
Charming and novel—users will likely say “Hey, that’s cool”—though not revolutionary.

Total: 20 / 30 — 👍 Good. Worth trying if you enjoy little touches of delight during your drive.

Key Takeaways

The Wizard of Oz theme is a playful overlay for Waze: new voices, avatar moods, and visuals that don’t interfere with core navigation.

It’s easy to enable/disable on mobile.

Great for novelty, user delight, and sparking conversation but not a productivity tool or routing enhancement.

Try It Yourself

Why not take your next trip down the yellow brick road?

Activate the Oz mode in Waze and see how it changes your perspective—even a 10-minute drive can feel magical.

And if you enjoyed this, share it with your network or subscribe to One Cool Tip for more (yes, I hope it brought a smile).

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Rodger Mansfield, a seasoned tech expert, is the mastermind behind www.OneCoolTip.com where he serves as both writer and editor. With a keen eye for simplifying complex tech, Rodger delivers practical advice that empowers readers to navigate the digital world with confidence. Dive into www.OneCoolTip.com for a treasure trove of savvy tips and tricks that keep you one step ahead in tech.