Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Waze is currently one of the most popular apps in the entire world, and statistics shared by founder Uri Levine back this claim. Waze has over 650 million downloads and is the top driving app in the entire world, in some cases being even more popular than Google Maps.
Purchased by Google as part of a whopping $1.15 billion transaction in 2013, Waze has rapidly evolved to become a leader in the navigation space.
Levine explains that Waze was a revolutionary product from the very beginning. Back in 2012, when the app was still in its early days, it had 25 million users. At that time, the entire navigation market (which included stand-alone GPS units and apps) came down to 20 million users. So overall, Waze was already bigger than the entire market it was trying to transform.
Looking back at the decision to sell the company to Google, Levine says he doesn't regret a single thing. "Would I have done anything differently? Probably not," he explained in an editorial piece published a few days ago.
The biggest difference between Waze and Google Maps is the crowdsourcing engine that makes it insanely accurate regarding information about what's happening on the road. While Google Maps relies mostly on aggregate data, Waze uses reports submitted by motorists already on the road. As such, these traffic reports help build a much more accurate picture of current conditions, and this picture is then used to make everybody else aware of what to expect when they get behind the wheel.
Waze includes a wide variety of traffic reports, starting with speed traps and accidents and ending with broken traffic lights and potholes. Thanks to its gigantic user base, it's impossible to come across a traffic incident without getting an alert on Waze. Unless you're the first one reaching the spot, that is, in which case you should report it on Waze.
On the other hand, it's not a secret that Waze isn't always working flawlessly. And in some cases, people believe Waze does more harm than good by sending drivers on quiet residential streets, making traffic even worse.
Levine has a simple message for everybody: imagine a world without Waze. The application has completely changed the way we travel, and drivers now consider Waze a must-have part of their daily app arsenal. Levine says most drivers use Waze every time they get in the car, while the other apps are typically launched when they're needed.
This says a lot about how important Waze has become for drivers, despite the occasional blunders that flood Android and iPhone users with bugs and performance issues. Hopefully, Google will find a way to make Waze more reliable, not because it needs to, but because we need it.
Levine explains that Waze was a revolutionary product from the very beginning. Back in 2012, when the app was still in its early days, it had 25 million users. At that time, the entire navigation market (which included stand-alone GPS units and apps) came down to 20 million users. So overall, Waze was already bigger than the entire market it was trying to transform.
Looking back at the decision to sell the company to Google, Levine says he doesn't regret a single thing. "Would I have done anything differently? Probably not," he explained in an editorial piece published a few days ago.
The biggest difference between Waze and Google Maps is the crowdsourcing engine that makes it insanely accurate regarding information about what's happening on the road. While Google Maps relies mostly on aggregate data, Waze uses reports submitted by motorists already on the road. As such, these traffic reports help build a much more accurate picture of current conditions, and this picture is then used to make everybody else aware of what to expect when they get behind the wheel.
Waze includes a wide variety of traffic reports, starting with speed traps and accidents and ending with broken traffic lights and potholes. Thanks to its gigantic user base, it's impossible to come across a traffic incident without getting an alert on Waze. Unless you're the first one reaching the spot, that is, in which case you should report it on Waze.
On the other hand, it's not a secret that Waze isn't always working flawlessly. And in some cases, people believe Waze does more harm than good by sending drivers on quiet residential streets, making traffic even worse.
Levine has a simple message for everybody: imagine a world without Waze. The application has completely changed the way we travel, and drivers now consider Waze a must-have part of their daily app arsenal. Levine says most drivers use Waze every time they get in the car, while the other apps are typically launched when they're needed.
This says a lot about how important Waze has become for drivers, despite the occasional blunders that flood Android and iPhone users with bugs and performance issues. Hopefully, Google will find a way to make Waze more reliable, not because it needs to, but because we need it.
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