Security researchers have discovered a hidden, undisclosed feature in the Waymo app that allows you to display any text of your choice on the robotaxi's top display.
Jane Manchun Wong, a prominent security researcher, posted an image to X on Saturday that included her X handle and other text on the top display of a Waymo car (officially known as a “dome”). did.
“We hacked Waymo to display weird text like empty strings, ‘Won Jane’, and emojis as car IDs. Please don’t ban me or patch me, @waymo ( lol),” she wrote.
Wong, who lives in San Francisco, told TechCrunch that while he was waiting for the robotaxi to arrive, he was able to customize the character of his self-driving Jaguar I-Pace Dome by using the Waymo mobile app on his Android smartphone.
“Good old magic fiddling with the Waymo mobile app. I think the server probably didn't validate car ID input from non-employees,” Wong said. “Therefore, we do not 'jailbreak' or 'root' the car itself. All I did was change the Car ID to something beyond what would normally be accepted. I think it's pretty harmless. ”
Despite her pleas, Waymo appears to have updated its app to prevent riders from customizing their domes like Wong did. On Tuesday, Wong posted an update saying she could no longer change her car's ID.
Waymo spokeswoman Sandy Karp confirmed that Wong discovered the hidden feature and that the company has closed it to regular users like Wong.
“Given her advanced knowledge of Android, Jane identified unreleased features,” Karp told TechCrunch. “Access to dome display features is restricted.”
In 2020, Waymo announced it had added movable LEDs to its dome. This will serve as a mechanism for riders to identify vehicles day and night and know which vehicle is theirs if multiple Waymo vehicles are waiting.
The dome is also used to tell pedestrians that a car is about to give way, and to tell cyclists that a passenger is about to open the car door. And the company is also using the display for marketing purposes.