Google owns the two most popular navigation apps in the world, and for many people, this makes no sense. Google Maps and Waze are considered two similar apps with the same purpose, and merging them into a single all-in-one offering would be the logical choice.
Google Maps has been offering incident reporting for several years, but Google is now bringing the ability to pin hazards on the map to iPhone, CarPlay, and Android Auto. Users can now flag the most common hazards, such as police traps, accidents, and roadworks, as they do in Waze.
However, the biggest change happens under the hood.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Now that both Google Maps and Waze offer incident reporting, Google has decided to adopt the most obvious approach (which fuels speculation that a merger is still possible). Waze traffic reports are making their way to Google Maps, as Google wants to make the most of Waze’s humongous community to power the new capabilities in its flagship mapping platform.
If you’ve been following the navigation space closely, you probably know that many companies tried to copy Waze’s incident reporting. Apple is the biggest name, as Apple Maps has been updated with the ability to pin hazards on the map using crowdsourcing as part of the detailed city experience rollout.
However, the feature has yet to gain traction. Incident reporting in Apple Maps has recorded poor adoption, mainly because Apple hasn’t released the detailed city experience in more regions. The limited availability, which led to a reduced number of users discovering incident reporting in Apple Maps, has significantly impacted its usage, so traffic reports are still scarce.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google wants to avoid the same problem in Google Maps. The company needs traffic reports on the map, and because the feature is still new and users have yet to discover it, it wants to populate it using data imported from Waze.
Traffic hazards are everywhere you look in Waze, and the application commands a gigantic user base, especially in Europe. Waze is the dominant navigation software in my home country, and traffic reports are available from the moment I leave home to when I arrive at my destination. People keep reporting everything from potholes to roadkill, blocked lanes, and speed traps, so it’s impossible not to use Waze.
This is why Google needs Waze data. Waze is a data monster, and bringing these traffic reports to Google Maps addresses one of the biggest challenges for a new feature. At the same time, it also resolves the feature gap and provides users with another reason to use Google Maps. For some people, it’s a solid reason to abandon Waze and adopt Google Maps, which makes everybody wonder if Google is indeed planning a merger in the long term.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google says Google Maps will start displaying traffic reports, such as roadworks, lane closures, objects on the road, and speed traps from both apps. This means that Google Maps will show traffic hazards reported by Google Maps and Waze users. Oddly, Waze will not display Google Maps reports, sticking with information submitted by its community.
To make it clearer who pinned a traffic hazard on the map, Google Maps will also show the application where the report was submitted.
Google is also trying to make traffic reports more convenient and straightforward in Google Maps on all platforms. The company has announced a refined experience with larger icons so drivers can tap them more easily when the vehicle is in motion (albeit we all know that you should only report traffic hazards when it’s safe).
The search giant has already started the rollout, and another sign that Google is very committed to traffic reports in Google Maps is the platform availability. These refinements are already live on all platforms where Google Maps can be installed, including Android, iPhone, Android Auto, Android Automotive, and CarPlay. It’s also available worldwide, so it’s not limited to a specific region.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google’s commitment to improving the navigation side of Google Maps also includes more goodies on CarPlay, where a speedometer landed in July. The speedometer is a top feature request in the Google Maps user base, with the application previously showing only the speed limit for every road. The speedometer is still rolling out to users, so if you don’t see it in Google Maps, it’s because the company hasn’t enabled it for the entire user base worldwide.
I’ll leave you with one simple thought: Google might not be planning to kill off Waze, but all these changes show that Google Maps will get all its love. I can’t help but wonder what’ll eventually happen if enough users switch from Waze to Google Maps.