Photo: reddit user georgio_armani69
Waze is currently one of the most popular navigation apps out there, and it all happens for a good reason. Running on community-based reports, Waze helps drivers avoid roads with heavy traffic, while also warning in advance of speed traps, potholes, accidents, and other hazards.
And while these days we’re no longer driving as much as we did a year ago for obvious reasons, every single update Waze receives still comes in handy to millions of drivers out there, including those running the app on their smartphones and CarPlay.
Those part of the Apple ecosystem have just received the best Waze news in a long time: dashboard support is finally coming, as the company included it in the latest beta build.
Only the essential driving apps are included on this screen, such as navigation, calendar (for appointment info), phone calls, and music players. A simple tap on any displayed card launches the app, taking over the full screen and providing more information.
Initially, only Apple Maps was supported on the CarPlay dashboard, but with the release of iOS 13.4 back in March, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker unlocked the navigation card to third-parties too.
Google Maps received support for this feature a few months ago, while Waze is now getting ready to follow in its footsteps with an upcoming update.
The latest beta build therefore introduced CarPlay support, but the experience overall still needs to be more polished, so it could take a while until this feature goes live for everybody.
However, you should expect Apple CarPlay support to go live in Waze by the end of the year, though there’s a chance the ETA could be pushed back if something doesn’t go right in beta builds.
Thanks to the multi-view screen, Waze can run side by side with other apps, so you can view more data with just a quick glance at the screen.
When it runs on the dashboard, Waze displays pretty much all the information you’d need while driving, including the ETA to your destination, the name of the road you’re currently on, the speed limit and how fast you’re going, as well as user-based reports such as speed traps, cars stopped on the road, and traffic jams.
At this point, however, Waze can’t display alerts in the dashboard mode, and I guess it’s because of the limited screen estate, so when driving, you won’t see a notification showing up to warn there’s a police radar ahead. Instead, you only see the icon on the map, which obviously makes the whole thing less convenient since Waze runs in a smaller card on the display.
However, whenever you need to access the full navigation information, it’s enough to just tap the Waze card, with the app then expanding to the entire screen just like it runs right now.
Those part of the Apple ecosystem have just received the best Waze news in a long time: dashboard support is finally coming, as the company included it in the latest beta build.
What is the Waze CarPlay dashboard?
The release of iOS 13 for iPhones out there brought this new feature called dashboard and essentially enabled a multi-view screen displaying multiple apps side by side.Only the essential driving apps are included on this screen, such as navigation, calendar (for appointment info), phone calls, and music players. A simple tap on any displayed card launches the app, taking over the full screen and providing more information.
Initially, only Apple Maps was supported on the CarPlay dashboard, but with the release of iOS 13.4 back in March, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker unlocked the navigation card to third-parties too.
Google Maps received support for this feature a few months ago, while Waze is now getting ready to follow in its footsteps with an upcoming update.
When is the Waze dashboard support coming?
This is a hard guess. CarPlay support is currently in beta, an invite-only testing program that Waze runs on iPhone, Android, CarPlay, and Android Auto.The latest beta build therefore introduced CarPlay support, but the experience overall still needs to be more polished, so it could take a while until this feature goes live for everybody.
However, you should expect Apple CarPlay support to go live in Waze by the end of the year, though there’s a chance the ETA could be pushed back if something doesn’t go right in beta builds.
Why should I care about Waze dashboard support?
As we discussed already, Google Maps is already there on the dashboard, and since Waze has millions of users all over the world, part of them running the app on CarPlay, it’s pretty clear this is a highly anticipated update for many drivers. Some people still have to work, obviously, and Waze continues to be their navigation app of choice when running CarPlay on their head units.Thanks to the multi-view screen, Waze can run side by side with other apps, so you can view more data with just a quick glance at the screen.
When it runs on the dashboard, Waze displays pretty much all the information you’d need while driving, including the ETA to your destination, the name of the road you’re currently on, the speed limit and how fast you’re going, as well as user-based reports such as speed traps, cars stopped on the road, and traffic jams.
At this point, however, Waze can’t display alerts in the dashboard mode, and I guess it’s because of the limited screen estate, so when driving, you won’t see a notification showing up to warn there’s a police radar ahead. Instead, you only see the icon on the map, which obviously makes the whole thing less convenient since Waze runs in a smaller card on the display.
However, whenever you need to access the full navigation information, it’s enough to just tap the Waze card, with the app then expanding to the entire screen just like it runs right now.
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