The One Feature I Hope Google Maps Copies From Apple Maps in 2024

Waze is the best example. Thanks to the crowdsourcing engine, which allows users to send traffic reports for hazards like accidents, traffic jams, speed traps, and potholes, the application can generate warnings for other motorists.

Everybody eventually knows what to expect when they navigate with Waze on the screen, so the application makes the time on the road safer.

Google Maps, Apple Maps, Sygic GPS Navigation, Magic Earth, and other navigation apps contribute to improved safety for their users. They do it differently, but eventually, all try to make every journey more predictable.

The route preview integration is living proof. The route preview is available in most navigation solutions with a major goal: to allow users to preview the route before they begin driving. The preview displays every turn so users can become familiar with the route, so when they reach a specific point, they will already know what to do.

Google Maps dominates the mobile navigation space, but it doesn't mean the search giant created the perfect app. It didn't, and Google still has a few things to learn from its rivals. Including from Apple, that is.

Apple Maps has evolved a lot lately, mainly as part of Apple's long-term strategy of becoming a relevant player in this space. Apple Maps recently received offline maps, allowing users to navigate to a destination without an Internet connection. The detailed city experience, currently rolling out to users in certain regions, includes new maps built by Apple from scratch, rich details, improved navigation, and Look Around.

However, the detailed city experience also includes a little something that Google should copy for Google Maps. And it should do it as soon as possible.

Apple Maps displays the location of stop signs and traffic lights, so when you navigate to a destination, you can see them on the map as you approach their location. It's not the first time I've praised this feature, but seeing Google ignoring this feature, I can't help but wonder why the search giant isn't adding it to its navigation app.

Google Maps already shows traffic lights on the map when you explore a location, but the information is not available while navigating to a destination. Additionally, it doesn't show stop sign locations, and all drivers know how important they are from a safety perspective.

I recently used Apple Maps in a region where the detailed city experience is available, and the experience feels incredibly modern. The maps, the navigation, and the stop sign and traffic light data help build a package that you can't find elsewhere. Apple has managed to turn Apple Maps into an amazing navigation app, though the limited availability of its new maps is a deal-breaker for most users.

The new-generation Apple Maps isn't available in my hometown, so I must stick with Google Maps for now.

That's why I really wish Google Maps copied the stop sign and traffic light information from Apple Maps. With this data, it's much easier to navigate to an unfamiliar destination, as you can tell in advance when you must slow down.

It's not like Google doesn't have the necessary data to make it happen. The gigantic user base powering Google Maps and Waze can contribute with reports that will eventually help update the maps with the location of every stop sign and traffic light. The database can be further polished to become more accurate so Google Maps navigation can be safer and more predictable.

Waze can push the concept a step further by displaying warnings when you approach a stop sign or traffic light using an approach similar to railroad crossings. However, the feature can become intrusive and redundant, especially if you get spammed with warnings every time you approach a stop sign. Waze searches for faster routes to the destination, sometimes routing you on small, residential, and quiet neighborhood roads, where you are very likely to come across stop signs. Getting a notification for each sign could be annoying, so Waze must find a better way to integrate this feature if it's part of its long-term strategy.

For now, this feature is still a request that everybody but Apple seems to ignore. Google has no intention to bring such capabilities to Google Maps or Waze (not now, at least), so I can only hope that it gets the message and understands how important this can become for drivers.

Meanwhile, Apple focuses on the expansion of the detailed city experience, so maybe Google will reconsider its options once the new-generation Apple Maps becomes available worldwide. The rollout will take years to complete, given Apple's slow release, so Google still has a lot of time to work on its long-term Google Maps navigation strategy.