Should You Use Waze?
Google bought Waze back in 2013. At the time, it seemed inevitable that Waze would shut down and its best features would end up in Google Maps, but the two apps remained surprisingly separate until 2022, when Google merged the Google Maps and Waze teams .
Last week, Waze’s famous incident feature was rolled out to Google Maps . This means that police traps and car accidents reported by Waze users are now showing up on Google Maps, at least for some users. Google Maps is also introducing a more prominent incident reporting feature , similar to that found in Waze.
This (more or less) means you can get the best Waze feature in Google Maps right now. With this in mind, you might be wondering whether Waze is worth using at all. After all, these incident reports are the standout feature of the service. Is there anything that makes these two products different? I would say that they exist.
Waze is all about getting directions and always gives you the fastest route by default. At the same time, Google Maps offers directions for driving, walking, public transport and cycling. If you travel everywhere by car, you might prefer not to see all those other options on your screen all the time. On the other hand, if you’re like me and constantly switch between different ways to get around, you’ll probably prefer the options that Google Maps offers you. But again, Waze’s focus on driving means the user interface is much less cluttered, which is nice when you’re behind the wheel.
All of this remains true even though the incident reporting feature that made Waze famous is now available in Google Maps. I think most users should try both options and see which they prefer. You may find that Google Maps is great for all your navigation needs now that incident reporting isn’t unique to Waze, of course, but you may also find that Waze’s simplicity makes it easier to use while driving. And I don’t want to be that guy , but while you’re trying out different map apps, I’d consider trying something not made by Google at all. Personally, I think Apple Maps is pretty good right now if you’re an iPhone user, and Organic Maps is the best map app for tourists .
I’ve been reviewing software professionally for a decade and a half now, and I’ve learned one important thing: the best app is the one that works best for you . Next time you go somewhere, try a different tool – you might like it better.