Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/9to5Google
Waze has always been Google's number one crowdsourced navigation application, but it looks like the company is now in the middle of a priority transformation that focuses on Google Maps.
The application received incident reporting on Android Auto and CarPlay earlier this year, and now Google is bringing another such option to users worldwide.
This time, it's not aimed at drivers but at users who rely on Google Maps for public transportation.
The top reason why crowdsourced features in Google Maps and Waze are useful is because they rely on information submitted by users who are already on the road. They can see what happens on their route and report data, helping others whose journeys go through the same location to anticipate the changing conditions.
Google is now bringing this feature to public transportation, allowing users to report transit delays. The feature is available within the app when expanding a transit station – you should see an option called "Report delay" right next to the directions button.
When you press this option, you can choose the line suffering the delay – assuming multiple lines use the same station; if there's only one, it's selected by default – with the delay reported automatically. You can also see more information about delays, including how many people reported them, and contribute data to confirm and dismiss the delay reports.
It's a feature that works similarly to traffic reports, as users must submit the delay and confirm it's still happening. Obviously, it makes perfect sense in Google Maps, where public transportation is a key feature, but it'll never make its way to Waze, where the focus is entirely on car navigation and driving.
Meanwhile, Google Maps seems to be expanding more into Waze territory, and considering its all-in-one mapping platform strategy, more people seem to believe that the two applications will eventually merge. However, Waze has also received its own pack of improvements, including warnings for school zones and speed bumps. These are features currently unavailable in Google Maps, and the search giant seems committed to retaining this feature gap between its apps to avoid the obvious cannibalization.
Google Maps is also importing more data from Waze. The application will start showing speed camera warnings based on Waze data.
The incident reporting in Google Maps has become a controversial feature, as users claim they've been sticking with the app – and not using Waze – specifically for the more straightforward, convenient, and generally quieter navigation experience. Being prompted to confirm traffic reports impacts this experience, so they are now requesting Google to undo the update and pull the incident reporting feature from the app.
This obviously won't happen, as the incident reporting component is here to stay, with more features likely to be added in the coming months on all supported platforms.
This time, it's not aimed at drivers but at users who rely on Google Maps for public transportation.
The top reason why crowdsourced features in Google Maps and Waze are useful is because they rely on information submitted by users who are already on the road. They can see what happens on their route and report data, helping others whose journeys go through the same location to anticipate the changing conditions.
Google is now bringing this feature to public transportation, allowing users to report transit delays. The feature is available within the app when expanding a transit station – you should see an option called "Report delay" right next to the directions button.
When you press this option, you can choose the line suffering the delay – assuming multiple lines use the same station; if there's only one, it's selected by default – with the delay reported automatically. You can also see more information about delays, including how many people reported them, and contribute data to confirm and dismiss the delay reports.
It's a feature that works similarly to traffic reports, as users must submit the delay and confirm it's still happening. Obviously, it makes perfect sense in Google Maps, where public transportation is a key feature, but it'll never make its way to Waze, where the focus is entirely on car navigation and driving.
Meanwhile, Google Maps seems to be expanding more into Waze territory, and considering its all-in-one mapping platform strategy, more people seem to believe that the two applications will eventually merge. However, Waze has also received its own pack of improvements, including warnings for school zones and speed bumps. These are features currently unavailable in Google Maps, and the search giant seems committed to retaining this feature gap between its apps to avoid the obvious cannibalization.
Google Maps is also importing more data from Waze. The application will start showing speed camera warnings based on Waze data.
The incident reporting in Google Maps has become a controversial feature, as users claim they've been sticking with the app – and not using Waze – specifically for the more straightforward, convenient, and generally quieter navigation experience. Being prompted to confirm traffic reports impacts this experience, so they are now requesting Google to undo the update and pull the incident reporting feature from the app.
This obviously won't happen, as the incident reporting component is here to stay, with more features likely to be added in the coming months on all supported platforms.
Google News