Google bought Waze back in 2013. At the time it seemed inevitable that Waze would shut down and that its best features would end up in Google Maps, but the two apps remained surprisingly separate until 2022 when Google combined the Google Maps and Waze teams.
Last week, Waze’s famous incident feature rolled out to Google Maps, meaning police speed traps and car accidents reported by Waze users are now showing up in Google Maps for at least some users. Google Maps is also rolling out a more-prominently featured incident reporting feature, similar to the one in Waze.
Waze’s incident reporting feature, left, compared with a Google-provided screenshot the same feature in Google Maps
Credit: Justin Pot/Google
This (more or less) means you can get Waze’s best feature in Google Maps now. You might be wondering, given this, whether it’s worth using Waze at all anymore. After all, these incident reports are the standout feature of the service. Is there anything differentiating the two products anymore? I would argue there are.
Waze is entirely dedicated to driving directions, and by default will always give you the fastest route. Google Maps, meanwhile, offers driving, walking, public transit, and cycling directions. If you travel everywhere by car, you might prefer not having all of those other options on the screen all the time. On the other hand if you, like me, constantly switch between different ways of getting around, you’re probably going to prefer the options Google Maps gives you. But again, Waze’s laser focus on driving means the user interface is a lot less cluttered, which is nice when you’re behind the wheel.
All of this remains true even if the incident reporting feature that made Waze famous is now shared with Google Maps. I think that most users should try both and see what they prefer. You might find Google Maps works just great for all of your navigation needs now that incident reporting isn’t unique to Waze, sure, but you also might find that Waze’s simplicity makes it easier to use while driving. And not to be that guy, but while you’re trying out different maps apps I’d consider trying out things not made by Google at all. I personally think that Apple Maps is actually pretty good now, if you’re an iPhone user, and Organic Maps is the best maps app for hikers.
I’ve reviewed software professionally for a decade and a half at this point and I’ve learned one main thing: the best app is the one that works best for you. Next time you drive somewhere try out a different tool—you might find that you prefer it.