5 explanation why I exploit Waze over Google Maps

There are many navigation apps on the market, from Apple Maps to TomTom GO, however two of the preferred are Waze and Google Maps. Each are free apps, and each are owned by Google, however fortunately, the tech large has stored Waze as a separate app quite than attempting to fold its options into Google Maps. It means you get a selection of which of Google’s navigation apps to make use of, as they’re each very completely different of their approaches.

Personally, I have been utilizing Waze for years, and though I nonetheless use Google Maps on occasion, I all the time discover myself going again to Waze as my go-to driving navigation app. Listed below are 5 key explanation why I exploit Waze over Google Maps.

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1 Higher route planning

Get from A to B sooner

Each apps are owned by Google so that you would possibly anticipate them to generate the identical routes for a particular journey. Nevertheless, that is not often the case. That is as a result of Waze is designed to get you to your vacation spot within the shortest time doable and can fortunately take you through a barely unusual route if it means avoiding visitors congestion or an accident. Google Maps often generates a extra direct route however one that may find yourself being somewhat slower.

For instance, I attempted getting into the identical vacation spot on each apps. Waze gave me a route that was 325 miles lengthy and would take 5 hours and 31 minutes. Google Maps generated a route that was shorter, at 324 miles, however would take 5 hours 53 minutes. Except a route is absolutely loopy, I all the time favor to get there as rapidly as doable, and I’ve discovered Waze to be higher on this regard.

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2 Higher hazard reporting

Get real-time hazard studies

Waze is constructed on a social community of Waze customers whose information is shared with all different customers. Waze will use details about how briskly different customers are touring to estimate how busy roads are and use this info to construct probably the most environment friendly routes. Nevertheless, customers also can add their very own information, comparable to visitors accidents, pace traps, and different hazards.

These warnings are often extremely correct. For instance, I repeatedly get warnings about automobiles stopped along with the highway, and these are nearly all the time precisely the place the warning says they are going to be. If they don’t seem to be, I can rapidly faucet the display to point that the hazard is not there. Waze has not too long ago added new hazard reporting options, too, together with pace bumps and toll cubicles.

There may be hazard reporting in Google Maps, however the characteristic continues to be pretty new and depends on different customers benefiting from it. Many could also be unaware that hazard reporting is an choice in Google Maps, nevertheless it has been a key a part of Waze for years. This makes the hazard reporting in Waze much more correct.

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3 Customization choices

Hold issues attention-grabbing with new voices and icons

Have you ever ever been driving and so misplaced in your personal ideas that you do not even hear the directions out of your navigation app and sail on previous the flip you are imagined to make? It is easy to do, particularly with the identical monotonous voice speaking to you each couple of minutes. Waze shakes issues up a bit by providing you with an enormous selection of various voices to make use of, together with some glorious celeb voice.

Quite a lot of these voices are short-term choices which are used as promotional instruments or only appear for the holidays. For instance, proper now I can get my directions within the voice of Ray Stantz, Dan Akroyd’s character from the film Ghostbusters, which is selling the discharge of the newest film within the franchise. There are many different choices that stick round, too, comparable to Zombie, Noir Detective, and 80s Aerobics Teacher.

Alongside the voices, it is also doable to customise the icon that shows on the map to indicate your location to different Waze customers, which lets you point out your present temper.

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4 Sooner rerouting

Fast route updates if issues come up

The preliminary route that Waze generates is the optimum route based mostly on the present visitors circumstances. Nevertheless, issues can change in your journey. Some roads could get busier, slowing you up, or there could also be accidents or different hazards that make the present route much less ideally suited.

If this occurs, Waze will counsel another route, and inform you the way a lot time it can save you by switching to this route. It is going to achieve this fairly aggressively; if a faster route is discovered, Waze will often let you understand, that means the route can change a number of occasions in your journey.

Google Maps will change the route often, nevertheless it would not appear to take action practically as typically, which might be all the way down to not having as a lot user-submitted info to go on. If you need the quickest response to modifications in your route, then Waze is the best way to go.

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5 In-app gas costs

Discover the most affordable gas sooner

Each apps can help you seek for fuel stations and EV charging stations on or near your route. Nevertheless, Waze has one main benefit over Google Maps on this regard. Whereas Google Maps will present the placement of the fuel stations, you will not get any details about how a lot you may should pay.

Within the Waze app, you will not simply see the areas of the fuel stations, however you may as well see the costs, too. This info might be submitted by the fuel stations themselves, or it may be submitted by different Waze customers. This lets you rapidly discover the most affordable place to replenish with out going too far out of your method.

You may see the costs on the map, however beneath the map you possibly can see extra info, together with the date that the value was added to the app. It means you possibly can disregard the costs that have not been up to date for some time and simply take into account those who have been up to date not too long ago.

That is yet one more advantage of the social side of Waze, with customers in a position to share info comparable to gas costs that may profit everybody utilizing the app.

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FAQ

Q: Is there any motive to decide on Google Maps over Waze?

It is somewhat unusual that Google owns two very completely different navigation apps and nonetheless runs them each individually, nevertheless it does imply you get extra selection. Above are a number of the key explanation why I nonetheless use Waze as my navigation app of selection, however there are some options that Google Maps has in its favor, too.

For instance, Google Maps means that you can download maps for offline use so as to navigate even when you do not have a community connection. Google Maps additionally presents instructions for strolling and biking, in addition to public transport and flight info. Nevertheless, on the subject of driving, I am nonetheless sticking with Waze for now.