Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google bought Waze in 2013, but 11 years later, people are still wondering when the company will integrate the app with Google Maps to create a unified navigation solution.
Google Maps and Waze continue to operate independently, and Google has shown a surprising amount of commitment to improving the experience with both. Recent updates have brought Google Maps and Waze closer together in terms of features.
For example, Google Maps now offers incident reporting via CarPlay and Android Auto, and Google will even import traffic reports from Waze to improve the feature in the long term.
The expansion of Google Maps into Waze territory means that the two applications are now battling for almost the same audience. As a result, more users are tempted to switch from one app to the other, and in recent days I’ve heard a growing number of people claiming that Waze has lost its main selling point now that incident reporting is also available in Google Maps.
However, many of these people claim that the fact that Waze doesn’t offer offline maps is a dealbreaker and that before the company can even think about growing its user base, it needs to add support for navigation without a data connection.
In other words, Waze needs offline maps so they can navigate without a data connection. If that feature is missing, they won’t switch from Google Maps to Waze and will stick with Google’s flagship offering.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
While I understand that offline maps are useful when navigating an area without a data connection or when embarking on a long trip with high roaming charges, Waze’s primary focus has nothing to do with this feature.
Waze’s main selling point is its crowdsourced traffic reporting system, as it allows users to mark hazards on the map and let everyone know about them. The application receives these traffic reports and generates alerts that are displayed for users whose routes pass through the marked locations.
Users can report a variety of hazards, including accidents, potholes, speed traps, broken traffic lights and run over animals.
However, the feature only works with an active data connection, as the traffic information needs to be uploaded to Waze’s servers. Without this feature, Waze would just be a regular navigation app, missing the main reason why users install it in the first place.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Waze already offers a half-baked offline map mode. It allows users to continue navigation if they lose data connection during an active trip. For example, if you configure the route to a destination but lose data connection along the way, Waze will continue to provide turn-by-turn directions. The application does not download new traffic reports, so you will not see new hazards as you approach the destination. If you miss a turn, the application will not be able to find an alternative route.
Google Maps doesn’t have this problem because its built-in offline maps, which are saved to your device when downloaded, allow you to navigate to a destination even when a data connection isn’t available.
This is why Google Maps and Waze are still separate offerings. Although they look like two raindrops, Google Maps and Waze have different purposes, even after Google added incident reporting to its flagship product. Waze is still the better choice for someone interested in traffic navigation, while Google Maps is the all-in-one offering with features like offline maps and a satellite view.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
So, no, adding offline maps doesn’t make sense for Waze, and I’m sure the company isn’t even thinking about improving the app in that regard. Anyone who wants offline maps and navigation can install Google Maps, and while Google has the technical means and resources to bring the same features to Waze, it won’t do so for obvious reasons.
Waze has a different purpose, and it can’t be fulfilled without a data connection. There are plenty of other navigation apps on the market that can already get you from your location to your destination without using the internet, so Waze would be no different if it lost the ability to report traffic incidents. Google knows this, and that’s why the search giant prefers to focus on what Waze does best, which is improving the way users send and receive traffic reports.
Meanwhile, I hear more and more people claiming that now is the right time for Google to merge the two apps and create a single, all-powerful offering. But that’s still not the plan, as Google has several reasons for keeping Google Maps and Waze on the market at the same time. One of them has to do with the different focuses of these apps, while the second concerns potential competition issues that a merger could bring, especially in Europe.
Is the lack of offline maps in Waze a deal-breaker for you? Do you still think the Google-owned company should add such features to the app? Let me know what you think in the comments box after the jump.
