Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
A new Waze version published on the App Store for iOS devices fixes a critical bug impacting user accounts.
Waze 4.96 addresses a bug that blocked users from logging into their accounts after logging out from the application. Users who encountered the bug claim the glitch occurred when hitting the sign-out button (either accidentally or on purpose), with the app failing to log them back into their accounts.
The only option was to continue using Waze as a guest.
A Waze account allows users to save their favorite locations and make the navigation to a bookmarked place much faster and more convenient. It also lets them gain points for their contributions – Waze's gamification component includes multiple account levels that users can upgrade by sending traffic reports.
The Google-owned company has focused mostly on addressing bugs and improving the under-the-hood app performance rather than on new capabilities. The most recent updates included bug fixes almost exclusively, including for a widespread issue that caused the car icon to only be visible on the map in the "keep map north up" mode.
In the meantime, Google is making more internal changes that many consider another vital step towards a complete Waze demise.
The company is integrating Google Ads into Waze, laying off part of the marketing time working on the application. Google has already brought the Google Maps and Waze teams under the same roof last year, so transitioning the application to Google Ads makes its traffic navigation app more integral to its mapping efforts.
Back in 2013, when the search giant purchased Waze, it promised to allow the company to run independently. Since then, Google has been dropping hints that Waze and Google Maps could merge periodically, though it's still unclear if this is the strategy the company plans to adopt in the long term. At this point, Google Maps and Waze continue to operate independently.
The latest Waze update ships automatically to your iPhone if you have already enabled automatic app updates on the smartphone. If you didn't, the new version waits for your download from the App Store. CarPlay users must update the iPhone app to get the latest version on the dashboard screen.
The update does not resolve a problem that could become the intended behavior. Specific reports, such as map chats, are no longer clickable on iPhone, making it impossible for users to receive additional context on an incident. I spotted the change a few versions ago (and several users have confirmed it in the meantime). Still, it's unclear if Waze blocks expanding traffic reports on purpose (as a safety measure to reduce distraction) or if it's a bug that the parent company plans to fix in a future app update.
The only option was to continue using Waze as a guest.
A Waze account allows users to save their favorite locations and make the navigation to a bookmarked place much faster and more convenient. It also lets them gain points for their contributions – Waze's gamification component includes multiple account levels that users can upgrade by sending traffic reports.
The Google-owned company has focused mostly on addressing bugs and improving the under-the-hood app performance rather than on new capabilities. The most recent updates included bug fixes almost exclusively, including for a widespread issue that caused the car icon to only be visible on the map in the "keep map north up" mode.
In the meantime, Google is making more internal changes that many consider another vital step towards a complete Waze demise.
The company is integrating Google Ads into Waze, laying off part of the marketing time working on the application. Google has already brought the Google Maps and Waze teams under the same roof last year, so transitioning the application to Google Ads makes its traffic navigation app more integral to its mapping efforts.
Back in 2013, when the search giant purchased Waze, it promised to allow the company to run independently. Since then, Google has been dropping hints that Waze and Google Maps could merge periodically, though it's still unclear if this is the strategy the company plans to adopt in the long term. At this point, Google Maps and Waze continue to operate independently.
The latest Waze update ships automatically to your iPhone if you have already enabled automatic app updates on the smartphone. If you didn't, the new version waits for your download from the App Store. CarPlay users must update the iPhone app to get the latest version on the dashboard screen.
The update does not resolve a problem that could become the intended behavior. Specific reports, such as map chats, are no longer clickable on iPhone, making it impossible for users to receive additional context on an incident. I spotted the change a few versions ago (and several users have confirmed it in the meantime). Still, it's unclear if Waze blocks expanding traffic reports on purpose (as a safety measure to reduce distraction) or if it's a bug that the parent company plans to fix in a future app update.
Google News