autoevolution
 

Google Maps vs. Waze: Why Google Has Two Navigation Apps

Google Maps and Waze are currently the world’s most popular navigation apps, and the whole thing happens for a very good reason.
Google Maps and Waze both belong to Google 14 photos
Photo: autoevolution
Google Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadGoogle Maps offline maps downloadWaze on CarPlayWaze on CarPlayWaze on CarPlayWaze on CarPlayWaze on CarPlayWaze on CarPlay
Both of them offer extremely advanced navigation capabilities, and more often than not, they are incredibly accurate. So at the end of the day, they serve their purposes wonderfully, as they allow drivers to reach their destinations faster, more conveniently, and safer.

A more predictable driving journey has become mandatory these days, and without a doubt, such pieces of software have a major contribution on this front.

For many people out there, Google’s strategy of maintaining two separate navigation apps doesn’t make any sense.

Google Maps was officially launched no less than 17 years ago, in February 2005, obviously with a much more limited feature lineup and a basic interface. The code that powers the app was actually the work of Danish developers Lars and Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen and Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma, but Google purchased the application in October 2004. The official Google Maps unveiling took place on February 8, 2005.

Waze got to see daylight 16 years ago when an Israeli-based company called Waze Mobile released an app called FreeMap Israel. The project was launched officially in 2008 when it was also renamed to Waze. The Google acquisition took place in June 2013, when the search giant decided to pay no more, no less than $1.3 billion for the entire company.

Google Maps offline maps download
Photo: autoevolution
Waze joining the Google product portfolio was controversial from the very beginning, as even the U.S. Federal Trade Commission looked into the deal in order to see if any competition laws were violated. As a result, it’s not a surprise that many people don’t see a reason for Google to offer two similar navigation apps to users.

The answer, however, comes down to the purpose of each app.

While Google Maps does use some traffic data from Waze, it’s essentially an all-in-one mapping solution that does more than just get you from where you are to where you want to go. Google Maps is a stand-alone platform that offers way more advanced capabilities, such as Street View integration, business information, and basically the opportunity of exploring every little corner of the world from the comfort of your sofa.

Google Maps also features navigation capabilities that set it apart from Waze, and Google clearly keeps them exclusive to the app in order to avoid any market cannibalization with Waze. One of them is support for offline maps, which is exclusive to Google Maps – and wouldn’t even make much sense in Waze anyway.

On the other hand, Waze is solely a navigation app. It requires a permanent Internet connection (hence no offline maps), and it is powered by a huge community that contributes with traffic reports and information on what happens on the road.

Waze on CarPlay
Photo: autoevolution
Waze is a completely different animal from Google Maps, and while, at some level, it would make sense to see its features being integrated into the main Google navigation app, such an approach doesn’t necessarily make sense from a user experience perspective.

Integrating Waze features into Google Maps would only make the app more bloated and, therefore, more difficult to use for those who don’t want anything else than navigation capabilities. Google Maps, on the other hand, focuses on the essential navigation experience, and while it’s true that it uses Waze data for road reports and more accurate ETAs, it excels in many other ways, including when it comes to using the app without an Internet connection.

So at the end of the day, Google merging Google Maps and Waze into one almighty navigation app is something that doesn't make sense in the long term, mostly because the resulting software would be way too complex for such a basic purpose. Hopefully, however, the Mountain View-based search giant would continue to migrate more features from one app to another in order to improve the capabilities of both.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
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.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories