Australian TTS voice Kylie is only available while I'm in Australia - why region-lock voices?
We live in a world where people aren't restricted by country borders, and so it's always frustrating when you're faced with a feature or an app on your phone that's not available simply because of where in the world you might currently be.
I'm Australian and have really embraced using Waze over Google Maps over the years. One of the reasons this has been so easy is because of Kylie, the TTS voice I have selected. However, when I go to another country Kylie suddenly stops being available and Waze sounds British or American with no option to change it back until I'm back at home. Compounded with the lack of an option for automatic switching of units based on location, it's a very jarring experience that forces me back to Google Maps every time.
I drive overseas several times a year and having to make this switch between apps is very distracting, particularly since it's only discovered once you've started your route navigation. Please don't region-lock your TTS voices - these aren't the special or limited edition voices, it's one of your standard TTS voices that should be available to all. There are Australians living all around the world who I'm sure would also love for Waze to sound like them!
Similar posts, probably from people who aren't living in Australia and are completely unaware of the fact that Waze already has an Australian TTS voice:
https://waze.uservoice.com/forums/59223-waze-suggestion-box/suggestions/6496976-provide-language-feature-e-g-australian-for-any
https://waze.uservoice.com/forums/59223-waze-suggestion-box/suggestions/37245913-australian-voice-with-street-guidance
https://waze.uservoice.com/forums/59223-waze-suggestion-box/suggestions/17864722-i-would-love-to-hear-an-australian-accent-giving-d
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Phil commented
I'm in Canada, and I just discovered Kylie, and have chosen her voice to replace UK Thomas, who has been transformed this week from a friendly sounding BBC guy to an unpleasant "just follow my orders" type. So she's in Canada, at least.