Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
There was a time when Waze was a must-have application, especially for drivers who wanted to find a faster route for their daily commutes. The Google-owned application offers an incredible amount of traffic information, using a crowdsourcing engine to allow drivers to end reports on incidents like accidents, traffic jams, speed traps, potholes, and so on.
However, it's not a secret that the experience with Waze has degraded significantly in the last few years. The number of bugs increased at an alarming rate, and the Waze team needed weeks or even months to ship fixes.
Most recently, Waze broke down its dark mode on CarPlay, using the light visual style even at night. The application became dangerous to use in the car, as looking at a bright screen when it's dark outside could get you temporarily blind. The bug was discovered in early August after a Waze update, and despite being widespread, the parent company never seemed in a rush to ship a fix. The patch eventually landed approximately a month later.
All these struggles led to an expected outcome. Waze is getting a ton of one-star reviews on the Google Play Store, as Android users have had enough of this terrible experience.
Everybody seems to complain about something in Waze, starting with the app crashing, planned trips mysteriously disappearing, and some traffic reports missing, to broken Android Auto support, the horrible interface, and a painful lag that makes navigating a challenging mess.
Others claim the Waze routing engine is no longer as efficient as it was a few years ago when it suggested really faster routes. Several users explain they were sent on busy routes where they ended up spending hours in heavy traffic. Unsurprisingly, some users also criticize Waze's focus on those limited-time updates that provide the app with "useless features like silly voices." Instead, they say Waze should focus on useful features and bug fixes.
Many people believe Waze's days are already numbered, as Google could eventually merge the application with Google Maps, creating an unbeatable navigation app. My sources told me that such a merger isn't currently on the table, as Google is still committed to letting Waze operate independently. However, Google wants Google Maps and Waze to work closer together.
The company recently moved the two teams under the same roof, specifically with this purpose in mind. The Waze marketing team was also laid off as the application transitioned to Google Ads. But eventually, Google sees Waze and Google Maps as different beasts with different purposes. Google Maps will continue to evolve its exploration side (but still offer a navigation component for drivers), while Waze will remain focused on traffic navigation with the crowdsourcing engine at its core.
Most recently, Waze broke down its dark mode on CarPlay, using the light visual style even at night. The application became dangerous to use in the car, as looking at a bright screen when it's dark outside could get you temporarily blind. The bug was discovered in early August after a Waze update, and despite being widespread, the parent company never seemed in a rush to ship a fix. The patch eventually landed approximately a month later.
All these struggles led to an expected outcome. Waze is getting a ton of one-star reviews on the Google Play Store, as Android users have had enough of this terrible experience.
Everybody seems to complain about something in Waze, starting with the app crashing, planned trips mysteriously disappearing, and some traffic reports missing, to broken Android Auto support, the horrible interface, and a painful lag that makes navigating a challenging mess.
Others claim the Waze routing engine is no longer as efficient as it was a few years ago when it suggested really faster routes. Several users explain they were sent on busy routes where they ended up spending hours in heavy traffic. Unsurprisingly, some users also criticize Waze's focus on those limited-time updates that provide the app with "useless features like silly voices." Instead, they say Waze should focus on useful features and bug fixes.
Many people believe Waze's days are already numbered, as Google could eventually merge the application with Google Maps, creating an unbeatable navigation app. My sources told me that such a merger isn't currently on the table, as Google is still committed to letting Waze operate independently. However, Google wants Google Maps and Waze to work closer together.
The company recently moved the two teams under the same roof, specifically with this purpose in mind. The Waze marketing team was also laid off as the application transitioned to Google Ads. But eventually, Google sees Waze and Google Maps as different beasts with different purposes. Google Maps will continue to evolve its exploration side (but still offer a navigation component for drivers), while Waze will remain focused on traffic navigation with the crowdsourcing engine at its core.
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