Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
You'd think that software updates refine the experience with an app, making things better from several perspectives, but this is so not the case with Waze.
The most recent updates, especially on Android, brought changes that turned sending certain reports into a very confusing mess, as the Google-owned company keeps tweaking the app in a way that makes little sense.
If you have used Waze at least once lately, you probably observed that some of the most popular reporting options were gone. The parent company is trying to simplify the reporting experience by removing redundant options, and I fully agree that providing a more straightforward reporting system is mandatory.
However, not even Waze seems sure that the changes it makes to its app should remain available in the long term. Some of the removed options returned after a few updates, while others mysteriously disappeared in the latest versions.
Case in point, the roadkill option. This report type went dark in August, with Waze offering a generic "animal" report available under the hazards on the road group. The change makes sense, especially considering Waze's attempt to simplify the reporting experience, but now the roadkill option is back, being offered side-by-side with the generic animal report.
Users can now report roadkill as a road hazard and animals as a hazard on the side of the road.
The same thing happened with vehicles stopped on the side of the road, certain police reports (such as speed traps on the other side), and other reports.
Before you ask, all these changes happen in production builds, so they sometimes make their way to users running the stable version of the applications. And as if things weren't already confusing, only some users see them, which proves Waze is still experimenting with the changes, though it's unclear why the company isn't playing this awful game in the beta program.
Meanwhile, many believe it's a matter of time until Waze bites the dust and becomes a part of Google Maps. The Mountain View-based search giant offers two seemingly similar navigation apps, so merging them into a single solution with the best features in Google Maps and Waze would make more sense in the long term.
This isn't Google's plan for now, as the company sees Google Maps and Waze as different applications with different targets. Google Maps is expanding to become an all-in-one mapping solution, while Waze focuses on traffic navigation. However, all the changes happening in Waze's world don't help, as users complain of various problems, including bugs left without fixes for months.
Most changes to the reporting experience happen on Android, with the iOS application offering a more consistent approach. For example, the roadkill option is not available on my Samsung Galaxy S22, but it is there on my iPhone 15 Pro running the latest Waze version.
If you have used Waze at least once lately, you probably observed that some of the most popular reporting options were gone. The parent company is trying to simplify the reporting experience by removing redundant options, and I fully agree that providing a more straightforward reporting system is mandatory.
However, not even Waze seems sure that the changes it makes to its app should remain available in the long term. Some of the removed options returned after a few updates, while others mysteriously disappeared in the latest versions.
Case in point, the roadkill option. This report type went dark in August, with Waze offering a generic "animal" report available under the hazards on the road group. The change makes sense, especially considering Waze's attempt to simplify the reporting experience, but now the roadkill option is back, being offered side-by-side with the generic animal report.
Users can now report roadkill as a road hazard and animals as a hazard on the side of the road.
The same thing happened with vehicles stopped on the side of the road, certain police reports (such as speed traps on the other side), and other reports.
Before you ask, all these changes happen in production builds, so they sometimes make their way to users running the stable version of the applications. And as if things weren't already confusing, only some users see them, which proves Waze is still experimenting with the changes, though it's unclear why the company isn't playing this awful game in the beta program.
Meanwhile, many believe it's a matter of time until Waze bites the dust and becomes a part of Google Maps. The Mountain View-based search giant offers two seemingly similar navigation apps, so merging them into a single solution with the best features in Google Maps and Waze would make more sense in the long term.
This isn't Google's plan for now, as the company sees Google Maps and Waze as different applications with different targets. Google Maps is expanding to become an all-in-one mapping solution, while Waze focuses on traffic navigation. However, all the changes happening in Waze's world don't help, as users complain of various problems, including bugs left without fixes for months.
Most changes to the reporting experience happen on Android, with the iOS application offering a more consistent approach. For example, the roadkill option is not available on my Samsung Galaxy S22, but it is there on my iPhone 15 Pro running the latest Waze version.
Google News