Waze has a singular focus: being the best companion for getting you from point A to point B in a car. It’s the navigation app you fire up on your phone and slam into your dashboard's holster before hitting the road. It offers eye-catching maps and social features that add flair to a category not known for its pizzazz. Despite its rich, driving-focused maps, Waze stumbles a bit in the ease-of-use department. For a more accessible, general-purpose navigation app, check out Editors' Choice winner Google Maps.
Where to Download Waze
Google purchased Waze in 2013, folding its crowdsourced driving data into the larger, broader Google Maps app. That's why Waze focuses on driving: Google doesn’t want two apps that do entirely the same thing. So, Waze is intended to accompany the daily commute or the long-distance drive. It's not a navigation app for walkers or cyclists.
The app is a free download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and both versions offer similar features. We primarily tested Waze on an Android smartphone, but the service also has a web-based version, Livemap, that gives you a bird’s-eye traffic view. Google Maps also offers a web version, but Apple Maps does not—unless you count third parties like DuckDuckGo that tap Apple’s MapKit JS framework to display map data in a browser. You can use Livemap to plan a trip, and then save the information to the mobile app.
Waze's maps are largely the same as those found in Apple Maps and Google Maps, but they feature bright, colorful icons. These icons represent traffic jams, police activity, accidents, and road closures, all reported by Waze users (called Wazers in the app). Popular brands such as Exxon and Starbucks have map icons, too, so you can easily see how far you are from a tank refill or a fresh cup of Joe.
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You and other Wazers are represented by small, cute characters that move around the map in real time. Each character has a look based on the mood the Wazers set within their apps. They include the happy Sunny to the ninja-like Sneaky. You can change your mood at any time, which gives Waze a more personal touch and social feel. On that note, you can click a Wazer’s icon to message them or Beep them—a greeting to fellow Wazers on your commute.
Ride Together, Share the Wealth
Waze is a simple app that features just a few on-screen buttons. One recenters the app on your current location and becomes a speedometer when it locks onto you. Another button launches the Car Info menu, a place where you set the type of vehicle you’re driving. This changes the routes the app serves up. Your options are Private, Electric, Taxi, and Motorcycle, and each category is nicely tailored to the needs of the vehicle type. For example, Car Info highlights taxi-only parking lots and potential charging spots for electric vehicles. You can also change your preferred gas type or set the app to avoid tolls and HOV lanes.
Note that Waze Carpool, previously a cool sidestep to Lyft and Uber, has been shut down.
Let’s Go
The large “Where To?” icon is where most of Waze’s action lives. Once you tap it, you can choose an immediate destination or set up future trips. You can search for specific buildings or addresses to see distances, business hours, and nearby parking spots. At this route selection screen, Waze displays the fastest route and highlights traffic issues.
Waze has other buttons that let you add a stop along your route, or find gas/EV stations, restaurants, or parking. Tap the gas station button, for example, and you'll see a list of stations and their gas prices. Hit the parking button, and Waze spotlights parking spaces and the distance you must walk from that location to your destination. In general, Waze makes it easier to get on the road than Apple Maps or Google Maps.
Additional options appear once you’ve selected a route. The big, orange report button is key to Waze’s operation, as it lets you instantly report traffic, accidents, or closures to fellow Wazers. The app's social model makes it easier for Waze to supply better directions. You can see the avatars of nearby Wazers, which serves as a handy reminder that many people are on the same road as you.
Waze remembers your recent searches, but it’s well-suited to frequent commuters. You can save home and work locations, add favorites, or set certain planned routes as events. With the latter option, the app sends you a notification when it's time to leave.
If you want a deeper dive into what Waze offers, check out these useful Waze tips.
Bumps in the Road
Problems emerge between opening the app and starting a trip, though. Waze is built to take you from your current location to a destination. Selecting a different starting point is tricky; you must search for that new starting point, dive into a contextual menu from that search result, click “Set as Start Point,” click the new starting point, and search for your destination. That’s far more annoying than the streamlined location selection process in Apple Maps and Google Maps.
Waze’s web-based Livemap makes it easier to change your starting point, but the process still isn't ideal. In fact, the company expects you to search trips on Livemap and transfer them to the app. Waze also lacks terrain, satellite, and 3D maps, options you'll find using Apple Maps and Google Maps.
Waze doesn't let you save maps or routes offline. The option that best resembles that is to start a trip and then go offline. Unfortunately, you're out of luck if you lose your internet connection before you start the drive. This method is only for that single trip, and you’ll miss the detailed, real-time information that makes Waze unique. Google Maps, on the other hand, lets you save maps for offline use (and offers turn-by-turn directions). Apple Maps has offline options, too. On the upside, Waze saves routes as shortcuts.
Waze has many vocal options. There’s voiced turn-by-turn direction, and you can download free celebrity voices (such as Morgan Freeman or Liam Neeson) as a novelty. You can even record your own voice within the app. Waze has voice commands for hands-free searching, as well. There's a cool feature available for music lovers: Waze connects to streaming music apps such as Amazon Music, Pandora, or Spotify, so you can manually control your tunes while driving.
Verdict: A Data-Packed App for Drivers
In an era when apps try to be everything to everyone, Waze's simplicity has benefits. It's a great option if you have a daily driving route or just want to get from where you are to a new location via car. Waze does what it needs to do, and not much else. However, the competition has features that cater to non-drivers. You may not frequently walk or take public transit, but when you do, Google Maps and Apple Maps have you covered—and sometimes with greater ease.
Mike Williams contributed to this review.
Waze is a navigation app that offers top-notch, crowdsourced road information, but it lacks the competition's non-driving options.
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