Unlocking the Hidden Waymo Feature: Customize Your Robotaxi Experience with New Display Options

Unlocking the Hidden Waymo Feature: Customize Your Robotaxi Experience with New Display Options

In a surprising discovery, Jane Manchun Wong, a prominent security researcher, uncovered a hidden feature in the Waymo app that enabled her to customize the display on the top of a Waymo robotaxi, also known as the “dome.” This revelation raises questions about app security and user customization in self-driving vehicles.

What is the Waymo Dome Feature?

The dome on Waymo’s autonomous vehicles serves several purposes:

  • **Identifying the vehicle**: The moving LEDs help riders recognize their vehicle day or night, especially in crowded areas.
  • **Communication with pedestrians**: It signals when the car is yielding to pedestrians or cyclists.
  • **Marketing opportunities**: Waymo has utilized the display for promotional purposes.

Jane Manchun Wong’s Discovery

On Saturday, Wong shared an image on X showcasing her customized display, which featured her X handle and various other characters. She described her experience:

“I hacked my Waymo into showing weird texts like empty string, ‘wongmjane,’ and emojis as the Car ID, pls don’t ban me or patch it @waymo lol,”

How She Achieved the Customization

Wong, based in San Francisco, explained to TechCrunch how she managed to alter the dome display:

  1. She accessed the Waymo mobile app on her Android device.
  2. Wong manipulated the input for the Car ID, which she discovered was not properly validated by the app’s servers.

“The good old magic of messing around with the Waymo mobile app. I guess their servers didn’t validate the input for the Car ID from non-employees,” Wong stated. “So no ‘jailbreaking’ or ‘rooting’ the car itself. A pretty harmless thing I suppose.”

Waymo’s Response to the Discovery

Despite Wong’s light-hearted plea, Waymo quickly updated its app to prevent riders from replicating her customization. A spokesperson, Sandy Karp, confirmed that the feature would be restricted:

“Jane identified an unreleased feature given her advanced Android knowledge. We have restricted access to the dome display features.”

The Importance of Security in Autonomous Vehicles

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges related to security in autonomous vehicle software. As technology evolves, maintaining robust measures against unauthorized modifications is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of self-driving systems.

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Conclusion

As self-driving technology continues to advance, the balance between user customization and security will remain a critical issue. For more information on Waymo’s innovations, visit their official website at Waymo.

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