Summary
Waze has added a globally available English navigation experience tied to DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island. It includes custom turn-by-turn directions voiced by H.E.R., a themed map mood and a Jo’s Jeepney navigation icon.
Waze has launched a themed navigation experience based on DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film Forgotten Island, giving drivers custom voice directions and visual elements inspired by the movie. The experience is available globally in English, according to Waze’s September 17, 2026 announcement, ahead of the film’s scheduled theatrical release on September 25.
What the Forgotten Island experience includes
The experience uses a custom navigation voice for Jo, the film’s character voiced by Grammy and Academy Award winner H.E.R. Waze says Jo provides turn-by-turn directions with an upbeat style and phrases including “Tayo na!” and “Strap in... let’s roll!”.
Drivers can also activate a “Nostalgic” Mood. This changes the navigation presentation to feature Jo’s retro, paint-splattered boombox, which is associated with her mixtapes in the film. The standard navigation arrow can be replaced with “Jo’s Jeepney”, a vehicle design presented by Waze as a nod to Filipino cultural heritage.
How to activate it
The feature requires the latest version of Waze. Users can look for the “Forgotten Island” banner in the app’s menu or activate the experience directly, after which the voice, mood and navigation vehicle can be selected as part of the app’s normal driving interface.
This is a film-linked personalisation update rather than a change to Waze’s underlying routing system. Its practical effect is to alter the voice and visual elements used during navigation while retaining the app’s usual turn-by-turn format. The company has confirmed global English availability; the announcement does not specify a separate India launch configuration.