Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Waze is a fantastic navigation app that helps drivers avoid traffic jams and find a faster way to their destinations.
Its feature arsenal also includes a map chat option to let users share more context on the reported incidents, and as it turns out, this little tool can easily unleash a different side of Waze.
The navigation app recently turned into a social platform in France, as two users who exchanged messages in a map chat fell in love and now plan to get married this year.
Vivian and Enzo were heading to Bouches-du-Rhône in separate cars, and the drivers used Waze to find a faster route to the destination. Enzo turned to Waze to signal a non-working taillight while waiting at a toll booth. Long story short, the driver of Vivian's car spotted the message and offered to show their appreciation with a coffee at the next motorway stop, and four years later, the two are now making the final plans for their wedding.
They planned to send wedding invitations with the Waze logo, but the idea was eventually abandoned. Both joke they no longer use Waze, or if they do, they don't launch the map chat because… you know, that's a social feature.
While the map chat is a useful Waze feature, the couple was lucky the thing worked correctly.
Waze is making all kinds of changes to its features, and most recently, the application started blocking users from expanding map reports, including chats. I reported this behavior a few weeks ago, but the glitch still hasn't been fixed. Many people worry this is the intended behavior – blocking users from expanding reports could be a safety feature, especially when the vehicle is in motion; it should be allowed when the car is parked.
However, the feature seems disabled only on iPhones and for select users. Others claim that expanding map reports still works correctly regardless of their mobile device and platform. Expanding map reports for additional context never worked on mobile phone projection systems like CarPlay, so the feature was exclusive to smartphones.
Waze has remained tight-lipped on this problem, so it's unclear if this is a bug or the intended behavior.
The map chats allow users to get additional context on what happens on the road, especially when sitting in traffic. For example, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, a report on the route could provide more information on why the vehicles in front don't move, eventually helping clear the way for emergency vehicles (as in the case of a major crash).
I have already contacted Waze to get more information on this new behavior in the app, but I'm yet to hear back from the company.
The navigation app recently turned into a social platform in France, as two users who exchanged messages in a map chat fell in love and now plan to get married this year.
Vivian and Enzo were heading to Bouches-du-Rhône in separate cars, and the drivers used Waze to find a faster route to the destination. Enzo turned to Waze to signal a non-working taillight while waiting at a toll booth. Long story short, the driver of Vivian's car spotted the message and offered to show their appreciation with a coffee at the next motorway stop, and four years later, the two are now making the final plans for their wedding.
They planned to send wedding invitations with the Waze logo, but the idea was eventually abandoned. Both joke they no longer use Waze, or if they do, they don't launch the map chat because… you know, that's a social feature.
While the map chat is a useful Waze feature, the couple was lucky the thing worked correctly.
Waze is making all kinds of changes to its features, and most recently, the application started blocking users from expanding map reports, including chats. I reported this behavior a few weeks ago, but the glitch still hasn't been fixed. Many people worry this is the intended behavior – blocking users from expanding reports could be a safety feature, especially when the vehicle is in motion; it should be allowed when the car is parked.
However, the feature seems disabled only on iPhones and for select users. Others claim that expanding map reports still works correctly regardless of their mobile device and platform. Expanding map reports for additional context never worked on mobile phone projection systems like CarPlay, so the feature was exclusive to smartphones.
Waze has remained tight-lipped on this problem, so it's unclear if this is a bug or the intended behavior.
The map chats allow users to get additional context on what happens on the road, especially when sitting in traffic. For example, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, a report on the route could provide more information on why the vehicles in front don't move, eventually helping clear the way for emergency vehicles (as in the case of a major crash).
I have already contacted Waze to get more information on this new behavior in the app, but I'm yet to hear back from the company.
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