Waze

[southerndoc]

Just downloaded Waze. Apple could really use some of their stuff in Maps. The ability to mark/alert users of traffic, road hazards, accidents, police etc is pretty neat. Wish Apple would offer all that in Maps and make it a better product.

Any other Wazers out there? Can't believe I waited this long before downloading it!

 

[curtthecoder]

Love Waze!! Been using it for a while now!

 

[C DM]

With Google owning Waze Apple would likely have to create something similar or partner with someone else for that type of thing. Apple provides some traffic data already, so perhaps there's something more that could be done there.

 

[BeefCake 15]

They should use the slogan "Just Waze!" for their app

 

[aristobrat]

Mostly love Waze.

Love that in my area, it almost always shows traffic snafus more quickly than Apple or Google Maps do.

I live in a touristy area, and it's a little bittersweet that it's starting to show everyone using the app some of the "locals only" shortcuts for getting around the crappy traffic on Fridays/Sundays. I guess that's only fair, but the end result is going to be that those are now going to take as long as having stayed in the regular crappy traffic.

 

[truskowr]

Does Waze update your rout real-time? Or once it plots your route then that is the one it sticks with?

 

[campyguy]

Waze is just "OK" for traffic data. The only reporting element I like is the live reporting but I get that feature in other apps too. Waze: too many ads, way too many miles of roadway not covered, no ties to other entities outside of Google-owned companies.

Here in NA: Better coverage, traffic camera access, same user reporting features, better/customizable notifications, tie-ins to DOTs (which control and report traffic sensors for weather, roadway conditions, closures, notifications, police, accidents, hazards, events, police) and no ads - INRIX, which uses Google's services as a subset as its own data.

I need to travel to remote and not-so-remote locations. Apple/TomTom and Google often have nothing to offer while INRIX's app has me and my employees covered. I use Waze, but it's encumbered by its clunky interface, too many features like gas prices, locations of Safeways/Burger Kings/Targets/Starbucks/gas stations/etc./ad naueum, rewards, other users.... I don't need to know where every single frickin' pothole on the Interstate is.

Try INRIX or Waze - I don't care as they're both free, and I'm not knocking Waze users as I'm one of them. When I'm traveling between cities I use both, but when I get close to cities or I'm in rural areas, Waze doesn't cut it and I open INRIX - using Siri by saying "Open Traffic" - I wish there was an iOS app that offered the best of both apps.

 

[C DM]

Waze is just "OK" for traffic data. The only reporting element I like is the live reporting but I get that feature in other apps too. Waze: too many ads, way too many miles of roadway not covered, no ties to other entities outside of Google-owned companies.

Here in NA: Better coverage, traffic camera access, same user reporting features, better/customizable notifications, tie-ins to DOTs (which control and report traffic sensors for weather, roadway conditions, closures, notifications, police, accidents, hazards, events, police) and no ads - INRIX, which uses Google's services as a subset as its own data.

I need to travel to remote and not-so-remote locations. Apple/TomTom and Google often have nothing to offer while INRIX's app has me and my employees covered. I use Waze, but it's encumbered by its clunky interface, too many features like gas prices, locations of Safeways/Burger Kings/Targets/Starbucks/gas stations/etc./ad naueum, rewards, other users.... I don't need to know where every single frickin' pothole on the Interstate is.

Try INRIX or Waze - I don't care as they're both free, and I'm not knocking Waze users as I'm one of them. When I'm traveling between cities I use both, but when I get close to cities or I'm in rural areas, Waze doesn't cut it and I open INRIX - using Siri by saying "Open Traffic" - I wish there was an iOS app that offered the best of both apps.

+1 for INRIX. After using a Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and various other dedicated traffic apps, and at least just for traffic INRIX has worked out better than the rest for me for the most part (not that others are bad or anything).

 

[Armen]

Just downloaded Waze. Apple could really use some of their stuff in Maps. The ability to mark/alert users of traffic, road hazards, accidents, police etc is pretty neat. Wish Apple would offer all that in Maps and make it a better product.

Any other Wazers out there? Can't believe I waited this long before downloading it!

I used Waze for a long time but eventually realized that all the information/data it provides doesn't really add any value. Let me explain:

Let's say Waze calculates that it will take you 30 minutes to travel from Point A to Point B. That calculation is already based on current traffic conditions. If crowdsourced traffic data is gathered while you are on that route it's not smart enough to reroute you. At times I would see traffic up ahead and exit the freeway and take surface streets and Waze would just fight to get me back on to the freeway. The following alerts I didn't find very useful either:

- Car on shoulder ahead : not very useful for me
- Object on road: usually you can see it before you hit it
- Cop up ahead: they are usually gone by the time I get there

Waze is flashy, social and neat but in the end it gets me to my destination at the same time Apple Maps does. Rather use Apple maps as it's more simple.

 

[C DM]

I used Waze for a long time but eventually realized that all the information/data it provides doesn't really add any value. Let me explain:

Let's say Waze calculates that it will take you 30 minutes to travel from Point A to Point B. That calculation is already based on current traffic conditions. If crowdsourced traffic data is gathered while you are on that route it's not smart enough to reroute you. At times I would see traffic up ahead and exit the freeway and take surface streets and Waze would just fight to get me back on to the freeway. The following alerts I didn't find very useful either:

- Car on shoulder ahead : not very useful for me
- Object on road: usually you can see it before you hit it
- Cop up ahead: they are usually gone by the time I get there

Waze is flashy, social and neat but in the end it gets me to my destination at the same time Apple Maps does. Rather use Apple maps as it's more simple.

I don't know, those alerts can be useful. Car on shoulder might not be useful, but might explain why some cars are slowing down ahead or something like that. Object on road might not always be seen before hitting it, speaking from experience of a ladder being smack in the middle of a lane just after a small elevation of the road, so you basically wouldn't see it until you were almost on top of it and it would basically be too late to do much short of quickly swerving to one side or another which could easily cause even bigger issues. Cop ahead, while usually might be gone, might not be always be gone, so still useful on some level even as just a warning that doesn't pan out, so to say.

That aside, I would except that the travel time would get updated throughout the trip and realistically you should get adjusted to a faster route if the current one becomes delayed to a certain degree over what it was like before. Not sure if Waze has that implemented as I haven't used it in quite a while (and didn't use it all that extensively when I did use it for a bit), but it certainly seems like it should.

 

[dejo]

As a passenger who uses Waze frequently, I find the UX leaves much to be desired. It's too easy to bring up the right sidebar when scrolling around, and I don't like that it often zooms you back to your current location when you're trying to mess around with the route ahead. On the plus side, it has Morgan Freeman...

 

[eyeseeyou]

Waze>all.... As long as you have unlimited data and signal lol.

Apple should just copy some of Wazes features tbh.

Probably a lot easier said than done. I don't know why they didn't buy waze in the first place.

 

[Armen]

I don't know, those alerts can be useful. Car on shoulder might not be useful, but might explain why some cars are slowing down ahead or something like that. Object on road might not always be seen before hitting it, speaking from experience of a ladder being smack in the middle of a lane just after a small elevation of the road, so you basically wouldn't see it until you were almost on top of it and it would basically be too late to do much short of quickly swerving to one side or another which could easily cause even bigger issues. Cop ahead, while usually might be gone, might not be always be gone, so still useful on some level even as just a warning that doesn't pan out, so to say.

That aside, I would except that the travel time would get updated throughout the trip and realistically you should get adjusted to a faster route if the current one becomes delayed to a certain degree over what it was like before. Not sure if Waze has that implemented as I haven't used it in quite a while (and didn't use it all that extensively when I did use it for a bit), but it certainly seems like it should.

Waze, Google and Apple are good at:

- Showing you the fastest route from A to B
- Providing you an ETA as to when you will arrive and adjusting it accordingly depending on traffic conditions.

In some cases a road up ahead may show green on the map in Waze but I can visibility see slow down ahead and then Waze turns the road red. Traffic data is just too slow (even crowdsourced).

I live in L.A. and spend a lot of time in traffic and rarely ever see alternate routes in the 3 apps mentioned above. The technology is just not there yet.

 

[Huntn]

I recently downloaded Waze. My understanding is that Google bought Waze at some point. My question: based on user reports, does this app automatically offer alternate route suggestions? Does Apple offer or is working on a similiar app with traffic reports (not thinking of Apple Map app as I don't think Maps does this)?

 

[harlenmm77]

I recently downloaded Waze. My understanding is that Google bought Waze at some point. My question: based on user reports, does this app automatically offer alternate route suggestions? Does Apple offer or is working on a similiar app with traffic reports (not thinking of Apple Map app as I don't think Maps does this)?

Apple maps offers traffic data and will reroute you if it finds a faster route mid route.

 

[aristobrat]

My question: based on user reports, does this app automatically offer alternate route suggestions?

Mine does. On longer trips, I've had it pop up a notice that the route was changed and it saves XX minutes of travel time.

 

[Huntn]

Apple maps offers traffic data and will reroute you if it finds a faster route mid route.

Mine does. On longer trips, I've had it pop up a notice that the route was changed and it saves XX minutes of travel time.

Thanks guys. I wonder if Apple Maps and Waze uses the same data that dedicated gps map units use to generate traffic reports? For Waze, my impression is an advantage would be many Waze users submitting live reporting. I've not submitted a report yet. For slow traffic, hopefully it's just a button push, that does not require other info typed in while you are driving. In the brief time I've used Waze, it's easier or robust than a dedicated GPS unit for entering in favorites/destinations. I have a dedicated Garmin unit that is several years old, that I use on long trips to not tie up my phone. I assume the likes of Garmin and Tom Tom are working to improve their software to stay competitive with phones.

For anyone interested I found this recent article:
Navigation Wars: Google Maps vs Waze vs Apple Maps

 

[Gjwilly]

For the 2 weeks that I used Waze it never once alerted me to anything useful.
I would see lots of reported accidents on my daily commute and ended up never even having to tap my brake because they'd all been cleared hours beforehand.

 

[C DM]

Thanks guys. I wonder if Apple Maps and Waze uses the same data that dedicated gps map units use to generate traffic reports? For Waze, my impression is an advantage would be many Waze users submitting live reporting. I've not submitted a report yet. For slow traffic, hopefully it's just a button push, that does not require other info typed in while you are driving. In the brief time I've used Waze, it's easier or robust than a dedicated GPS unit for entering in favorites/destinations. I have a dedicated Garmin unit that is several years old, that I use on long trips to not tie up my phone. I assume the likes of Garmin and Tom Tom are working to improve their software to stay competitive with phones.

For anyone interested I found this recent article:
Navigation Wars: Google Maps vs Waze vs Apple Maps

Google owns Waze so it's not likely that Apple uses the same data.

 

[Gjwilly]

Google owns Waze so it's not likely that Apple uses the same data.

Even in the latest betas, Waze is still listed as one of Apple Maps' data sources.

 

[Huntn]

Google owns Waze so it's not likely that Apple uses the same data.

If I'm remember correctly, in the article link I posted, among other things Apple uses both Google and Tom Tom data, it's focused on navigation, but it's not as robust as what is available in Google maps, which has more focus on places.

The article also says that all three products are viable, each with advantages. What strikes me as a Waze advantage is the ability for Waze users to submit live reports about traffic conditions. Of note it says Google Maps uses algorithms that look at user speeds to advise of traffic slow downs. I'd assume Waze being owned by Google would take advantage of this, and somehow Apple Maps does the same thing, but don't know.

 

[one more]

I have been using Waze for a while now and its biggest advantage over both Apple & Google, in my experience, is the speed at which recent road changes appear on their maps. If we add to it a robust POI database powered by Google and Waze’s focus only on driving, it gives us a very solid app. Waze’s current disadvantages for me include its sacrifice of route’s simplicity for the sake of timing, so it might try to send you on some random small roads just to gain a minute on a two hour trip, as well as the ads that occasionally pop up when you stop the car at the lights, etc. I do like Apple Maps new interface in iOS 11 beta, it is sleek and minimalist, yet functional. However, what good can this pretty interface do if the backend map (road layout) is just plain wrong and their POI database is still weak compared to both Waze & Google?

For OP’s question on alternative routes, Waze will do it if it collects enough data fast enough, else it is still a bit of a gamble.

 

[GIZBUG]

Love Waze!! Been using it for a while now!

Ads ruin this app