Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google Maps and Waze belong to the same company, but despite offering navigation features, they are different animals with different purposes.
This is why Google keeps both around, turning Google Maps into an almighty navigation app that includes everything you'd expect to find in a mapping service. Waze retains its navigation focus and gets improvements specifically aimed at improving it.
However, it doesn't mean Google Maps and Waze don't offer similar capabilities. One of them is incident reporting, as Google Maps also includes a basic implementation that allows users to flag accidents, speed traps, and other generic hazards. It's an approach that Apple has also copied, though Google has never made a big deal out of it.
Incident reporting is the number one Waze feature, as users can pin the location of various hazards on the map and allow the app to generate alerts for other motorists. Compared to Google Maps, Waze supports more traffic reports, including potholes, roadkill, broken traffic lights, blocked lanes, and floods.
Because Google has never been interested in improving this Google Maps component, the incident reporting feature has rarely received refinements, remaining available in limited regions and only on Android.
Things could change soon, as Google has recently been caught working on incident reporting for the CarPlay version of the app. References in a recent Google Maps build prove the feature is coming, though the ETA is still unknown.
This means the Mountain View-based tech firm will soon allow CarPlay users to send traffic reports in Google Maps as in Waze. The application will likely support the same report types, such as accidents, speed traps, and other generic submissions.
I know what you think. If Google brings incident reporting to Google Maps on CarPlay, essentially stepping into Waze territory, it could be a step to merge the two apps.
I have already discussed this strategy on several occasions, and after asking around, I can tell for sure that merging Google Maps and Waze isn't part of Google's short-term strategy. This could change in the long term, but for now, combining the two apps into a single mapping solution isn't on the table, with Google planning to allow the two apps to operate independently.
Meanwhile, Google has remained tight-lipped on this big improvement for Google Maps, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some Waze users jumping ship once it becomes available. Google Maps offers a cleaner UI and is often preferred over Waze thanks to more straightforward navigation, and incident reporting could be a solid reason to change the navigation app on CarPlay.
It'll also make the choice harder for Apple users running Apple Maps. Incident reporting in Apple Maps is available only in regions where the detailed city experience has already debuted, so Google might be trying to secure its leading spot in the navigation space before Apple's feature becomes widely available.
However, it doesn't mean Google Maps and Waze don't offer similar capabilities. One of them is incident reporting, as Google Maps also includes a basic implementation that allows users to flag accidents, speed traps, and other generic hazards. It's an approach that Apple has also copied, though Google has never made a big deal out of it.
Incident reporting is the number one Waze feature, as users can pin the location of various hazards on the map and allow the app to generate alerts for other motorists. Compared to Google Maps, Waze supports more traffic reports, including potholes, roadkill, broken traffic lights, blocked lanes, and floods.
Because Google has never been interested in improving this Google Maps component, the incident reporting feature has rarely received refinements, remaining available in limited regions and only on Android.
Things could change soon, as Google has recently been caught working on incident reporting for the CarPlay version of the app. References in a recent Google Maps build prove the feature is coming, though the ETA is still unknown.
This means the Mountain View-based tech firm will soon allow CarPlay users to send traffic reports in Google Maps as in Waze. The application will likely support the same report types, such as accidents, speed traps, and other generic submissions.
I know what you think. If Google brings incident reporting to Google Maps on CarPlay, essentially stepping into Waze territory, it could be a step to merge the two apps.
I have already discussed this strategy on several occasions, and after asking around, I can tell for sure that merging Google Maps and Waze isn't part of Google's short-term strategy. This could change in the long term, but for now, combining the two apps into a single mapping solution isn't on the table, with Google planning to allow the two apps to operate independently.
Meanwhile, Google has remained tight-lipped on this big improvement for Google Maps, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some Waze users jumping ship once it becomes available. Google Maps offers a cleaner UI and is often preferred over Waze thanks to more straightforward navigation, and incident reporting could be a solid reason to change the navigation app on CarPlay.
It'll also make the choice harder for Apple users running Apple Maps. Incident reporting in Apple Maps is available only in regions where the detailed city experience has already debuted, so Google might be trying to secure its leading spot in the navigation space before Apple's feature becomes widely available.
Google Maps is finally adding "Incident Reporting" to its CarPlay app! pic.twitter.com/hg0jdrTm8C
— Aaron (@aaronp613) April 21, 2024
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