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Apple Maps Receives Major Update to Become a Full Waze Alternative

Apple has recently released iOS 14.5 for all supported iPhones. As expected, one of the biggest new features in this update is support for incident reporting capabilities in Apple Maps.
Apple Maps incident reporting on CarPlay 1 photo
Photo: MacRumors
In other words, Apple Maps now relies on crowdsourcing for capabilities similar to Waze, a Google-owned application that’s already the top choice for millions of drivers who are trying to beat the dense traffic in cities and get to their destinations faster.

But as compared to Waze, Apple Maps is only focusing on the most common reports, so after installing iOS 14.5, iPhone owners can only mark the location of an accident, a hazard, or a speed check on the map.

On the other hand, Waze lets users send a wide variety of other reports, including traffic jams, vehicles stopped on road, potholes, broken traffic lights, and roadkill.

In theory, the more people send reports on Apple Maps, the faster the app becomes a full alternative to Waze. However, for the time being, this feature is only available in the United States, and there’s no word regarding an international launch for the time being.

And as with everything Apple, the Cupertino-based tech giant has remained completely tight-lipped on everything in this regard, so the only option for everybody right now is to just wait.

The incident reporting feature works not only on the iPhone but also on CarPlay. It can also be used via Siri, which makes more sense, given that interacting with the screen could increase the distraction behind the wheel.

It remains to be seen how fast Apple Maps would evolve in this new direction embraced by the Cupertino-based iPhone maker. Still, there’s a chance some iPhone users may finally give up on Waze and stick with the native offering on their devices.

We have also reached out to Apple to ask about a possible ETA regarding the expansion of the feature to more markets and will post a follow-up if we receive more information.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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