Can’t Submit Reports on Waze? Try These 6 Known Fixes

Are you trying to figure out why you can’t submit reports on Waze?

You’re in good company! This problem affects thousands of the platform’s users every day, leaving them nothing short of confused.

I know having this happen is not fun at all, especially if you’ve grown fond of Waze’s interface and love warning other people about road hazards.

But don’t worry, you came to the right place for answers. Below, you’ll find a list of 6 known fixes to this issue, so you can focus on driving safely.

When you can’t submit reports on Waze, you can try relaunching/updating/uninstalling the app, as well as clearing the cache. If your account is somewhat recent, you might also want to wait to submit a report or look at your report history.

Read on to keep warning others!

#1 Relaunch Waze

First, I’d like you to try one of the simplest, yet most effective fixes out there – relaunching Waze. You’re probably doubting this will do anything, as it’s super obvious, but bear with me. There’s a good explanation behind this.

You see, for our favorite apps and devices to work as expected, thousands of background processes need to be running at the same time, all the time. In 99% of cases, this happens without us even noticing and that’s the end of it. But occasionally, one or more of these processes can crash after encountering a bug or a corrupted file.

By closing and relaunching the app, you’ll be reloading vital resources and patching several bugs that might be causing your inability to submit reports on Waze.

#2 Update Waze

Next, I want to ask you an important question. Do you have the latest version of the Waze app installed? If you’re not sure about the answer, it’s high time we took a deeper look at this.

Updates are a key part of ensuring your apps and devices always run like clockwork, as they’re usually packed with new and improved features, as well as patches for annoying bugs. Not to mention that many Tech companies stop supporting older app versions when new ones are made available to the public, so keeping an eye on this is essential.

Now, don’t start marking up your calendar. Most modern devices are set up to frequently look for new app and operating system versions automatically, so you can rest easy there.

… that is, unless a bug or a corrupted file has gotten in the way of this process, which could keep you working on outdated software. This would explain why you can’t submit reports on Waze, or why the platform keeps crashing on your iPhone or Android device.

Solution: If you suspect this to be your case, here’s how you can manually look for new Waze versions, and install them if found:

For iOS:

1. Open “App Store”

2. Locate your profile button in the upper right corner of the screen, and tap on it

3. Find the “Update All” button. This should update Waze if there’s a newer version available

For Android:

1. Go to Play Store and click on your profile, located in the upper-right corner of your screen

2. Select “Manage apps & device”

3. If you just want to update Waze, select it and update it individually

4. If you want to update all pending apps, select “Update All”

5. Wait for the updating process to be completed

#3 Uninstall Waze

If updating didn’t work, it’s time to try something a little more permanent.

Sometimes, the only way to restore your ability to submit reports on Waze is to uninstall and reinstall the app. You’re probably wondering why that works, and the answer is pretty straightforward.

As you learned previously, your favorite apps and devices rely heavily on background processes, and sometimes, relaunching the app won’t cut it, as it might not delete all bugs or corrupted files that are making them crash.

Events like that could explain why you can’t submit reports on Waze, as well as several other issues you might be having.

You might want to put this off out of fear of losing your account, rewards, or ranking on the scoreboard, but relax! This information is backed up in Waze’s cloud server, so everything should be waiting for you once you reinstall and log back in.

Solution: Here’s how you can uninstall and reinstall Waze in the most popular mobile operating systems out there:

For iOS:

1. Press and hold Waze until it starts shaking.
2. Tap on “Remove app”.
3. Go to the App Store, search for Waze, and click on “Get” or “Download”.

For Android:

1. Press and hold Waze.
2. Drag the app to the trash bin icon and release.
3. Go to the Google Play Store.
4. Search for Waze and click on “Install”.

#4 Clear the Cache

If you read the title and thought “What on Earth is that?”, I don’t blame you. As a Tech aficionado myself, I went for years without having the faintest clue about the concept. But since you’re already here, let me explain it to you quickly.

Think of an app’s cache as a treasure chest, where you can find all sorts of useful information, such as login credentials, user preferences, and much more. In GPS navigation apps like this one, you can also find more specific stuff, such as routes and street names.

By keeping this data handy, Waze can load much quicker when you launch it, which can save you a lot of time when you need directions and are running late.

The problem, however, is that although the cache is a great thing to have, sometimes it can also cause trouble when a file inside it becomes corrupted. This could explain why you can’t submit reports on Waze, as well as why the platform keeps restarting on you.

Solution: If you suspect a corrupted cache to be the source of your issues, try clearing it and see if things improve. Here are some easy steps you can follow to do so:

For Android:

1. On your device, go to “Settings”

2. Select “Apps”

3. From the new menu, select “Apps” again

4. Find Waze and select it

5. Find “Storage” on the menu

6. Select “Clear Cache” from the available options 

If you’re an iOS user, this process is a little trickier, and you’re better off simply uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

#5 Be Patient

Believe it or not, there’s a good chance that the only reason why you can’t submit reports on Waze, is that your account is too recent. Apparently, if you just created a new account, there’s a waiting period of anywhere between 2-4 weeks before you can let others know about road hazards, police cars, or potholes.

I’m guessing this is mainly done to let newcomers learn the ropes before they start reporting every little inconvenience they find while driving, and it makes a lot of sense. After all, a crowdsourcing platform like this one benefits from accuracy, not frequency.

So, if you’re new to Waze and can’t submit reports yet, wait a couple of weeks and try again. Your next attempt should be successful.

#6 Check Your Report Frequency

Lastly, let’s talk about how often you report issues on the road.

It would seem that Waze values quality over quantity, at least when it comes to user-provided information that others can see. Several people have stated that they’ve been temporarily blocked from reporting after submitting several claims in a short period, which could explain your current situation if you did something similar lately.

Now, don’t worry. According to my research, this doesn’t last too long, and it has no repercussions on your ranking on the scoreboard. It’s more of a suggestion for moderation, if you will.

Just be patient and try to decrease the frequency of your reports from now on. I’m sure your temporary blocking will soon be lifted.

Conclusion

That’s about it!

When you can’t submit reports on Waze, a big part of the experience that using this app gives you is lost. After all, the platform is not only for navigation but also for making new friends.

Luckily, I hope this piece has helped you see that, in many cases, addressing the most common causes behind this problem is fairly easy and quick. More often than not, simple actions, like watching your reporting frequency, updating Waze, and clearing the cache, should do the trick.

Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If this article piqued your interest and was helpful to you, it’ll make you very happy to know that there’s new content to learn from every week. While our latest work comes out of the oven, please check out our other resources available below to become a Tech Detective yourself!

Best of luck to you.