Your Waze App Will Soon Have AMBER Alerts

Waze has come under fire lately for just being Waze. Law enforcement sees it as a possible threat to safety, where the police reporting feature is seen as a way for those who want to attack police a heads-up on where they might be. The scope of Waze is to encourage better driving and faster travel time, but a new feature might also bring in a lot of goodwill. Now, you may see AMBER Alerts pop up on your Waze app.

AMBER Alerts are an early warning system meant for abducted children. The earlier police learn about a possible abduction and get info on who may have absconded with the child (as well as the vehicle they're in), the better chance they have of a tipster reporting on their location.

With so many drivers plugged into Waze for one reason or another, AMBER Alerts are a natural fit. Every ten minutes, the app will scan for alerts, which are only displayed in the 'relevant geographical area', and will only pop up if your vehicle has been idle for 10 seconds. Dismissed alerts won't show again for at least one week.

Alerts contain all the info law enforcement might know, like make and model of the car as well as a picture and info on the child (or children). There's no 'report' feature should you actually see the vehicle or child in question, but it's probably best to hop on the line with a 911 operator if that were the case.

This makes Waze the second social app of late to get AMBER Alerts baked right in. Earlier this year, Facebook added AMBER Alerts to Timeline. Waze is currently rolling the update out, so if you don't see it yet, sit tight.

Source: Waze