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Google Maps and Waze Are Still the Most Popular Navigation Apps

Everybody knows that Google Maps is the number one mobile navigation app worldwide, but new data is here to prove that dethroning it, at least in the United States, is going to be mission impossible.
Google Maps still the top app in the U.S. 8 photos
Photo: Statista
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A chart published earlier this week by Statista shows that Google Maps is the leading choice in terms of navigation apps, with no more no less than 25.4 million downloads. If you believe this isn’t an impressive number, then it’s probably worth mentioning that the runner-up has almost half the number of downloads recorded by Google Maps.

Number two in the charts is none other than Waze, another Google-owned app whose primary focus is providing users with faster routes to their destinations using a crowdsourcing engine. Waze recorded 13.4 million downloads in the United States last year, according to the same numbers.

Surprisingly, Apple Maps appears to be missing from this analysis, though it could actually be the number three, which seems to be generically referred to as “GPS Maps.”

On the other hand, worth knowing is that Apple Maps is only pre-loaded on iPhones, so it’s not available on Android devices.

The chart also includes some other questionable entries, such as Android Auto, though this most likely refers to Google Maps as well.

But despite the debatable names in this graph, there’s absolutely no doubt that Google was, is, and will probably continue to be the world’s number one mobile navigation app.

A few days ago at I/O, Google made a very solid case for not giving up on Google Maps by announcing a new feature called immersive view. By combining satellite imagery and Street View data, the immersive view allows users to explore certain locations across the world in a way that isn’t yet available in any other app.

Furthermore, Google Maps is also getting features for a modern world, including eco-friendly routes, not only in the U.S. but elsewhere as well.
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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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