Garmin may let cyclists share their location with the Waze navigation app

Garmin, the maker of smart wearables and sports devices, appears to be working on a feature that would let cyclists share their real-time location with the Waze navigation app. Drivers using Waze could then be warned in good time about cyclists ahead on the road. The evidence comes from references spotted in the code of version 5.31 of the Garmin Connect Android app. No official announcement has been made so far.

What the code shows

The lines of code describe an integration built on Garmin's LiveTrack service. They include labels such as “Share Location with Waze” and “Waze Location Sharing”. The code also contains a user-consent process, which suggests the feature will be voluntary: data would be sent to Waze only with the cyclist's permission.

Drivers would not need a Garmin device. Alerts and the cyclist's position would appear directly in the Waze app, which could help avoid dangerous situations on blind bends or in poor visibility.

Background

Until now, LiveTrack has let friends and family follow an athlete's activity via a link, while the paid Connect+ subscription also offers automatic notifications. A Waze integration would go a step further by making the data available to other road users on the same route.

Garmin already works on cyclist safety through its Varia radars, which warn riders about vehicles approaching from behind. The Waze collaboration would address the problem from the other side.

Still unclear

It is not known which Garmin devices, smartwatches or Edge bike computers, would support the feature, whether it would require a Connect+ subscription, or how a cyclist would be displayed on drivers' screens. Because the feature has not been officially announced, it may be several months before it arrives, or it may change significantly.