Waze App

[egad]

A while back I posted that I'd downloaded "Waze", a free navigation, gas price, social media app and I thought I'd share some observations after using it this past week on a 1,000 mile Christmas trip.

Firstly, the navigation/traffic reports is the strong suit. Real-time reports such as disabled vehicles, police speed traps, construction, etc. are submitted by fellow "wazers" and proved to be pretty accurate and handy especially during the recent snowstorm. Alerts are shown on the screen, as well as spoken by a Siri-like voice. Submitting reports is easy using voice commands which I found helpful since I was traveling solo but you can enter them via screen taps and text, too.

The gas prices feature seemed a little lacking mainly because i don't think as many Wazers are submitting prices as traffic reports. Gas Buddy still seems to be the best for this. And the social media function allows to hook up with friends on Facebook to ride-share and the like but I don't know much about this since I don't use Facebook.

All in all I think it's very useful and will prove to be pretty popular. Standard disclaimer: I have no financial interest (though I wish I did!) nor was paid to write this review.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Egad!

[CanoeStream]

Thanks for the report, egad! I'd be interested in seeing how fresh the speedtrap feature is in the notorious I-35 alley south of Ft. Worth. And I-90/94 between Rockford, IL, & St. Paul, MN. Still wouldn't push it in either location. Will have to check it out.

I am glad to see gasbuddy doing better with diesel prices too. Yep, one app fits all is how bloatware is born ... and loses favor.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Yep, one app fits all is how bloatware is born ... and loses favor.

I would rather have three apps that do one thing each very well, than one app that tries to do three things and fails miserably.

[Bigcgar]

I've been using Waze for 4 months now and I'd recommend it too. I travel a lot for my job and go to many different places in NY, PA, MN, MA and used it during my last AS trip. I live in CO and use it occasionally and it meets my needs. It works as advertised and was free to boot. I know some will comment on you get what you pay for, but it does what I need it to do. I'm cool with Waze!

Cheers,

Bigcgar

[carl2591]

the only problem i have found with Waze is when you get in a dead Zone or low signal area the map will freeze up as it downloads more map as you move unlike a GPS which has the map stored in the onboard mem.

I use gasbuddy app for gas prices. Before we head out i will get on deck top and map out route before hand getting a idea of gas prices along the way.. When heading south from NC the Sams club in Florence SC is the lowest gas on the east coast most times. There are other places to stop if not a SC member that are cheap as well in the same area.

[fotoman1527]

I notice that this conversation hasn't been updated for years, so I'd like to share current observations regarding various hardware and software solutions for mapping a route. While no one mapping mechanism is perfect, and we often have two of them running in case there is a conflict, our clear favorite is Waze.

Apple maps and Google Maps are fine and have their strengths. Apple maps gives me haptic impulses on my wrist via an Apple watch, so I know when a turn is to be made.

Google lets me easily add additional stops.

I watch all three of those on a Car and Drive screen that sits in the middle of my dash, allowing me to add Apple Car Play to my 2015 Silverado. It was an added feature for GM in 2016, and short of getting a third party replacement head unit that may or may not preserve all the functionality of the factory unit, their solution was for me to buy a new truck! Speaking of GM, they want to charge about $100 for upgraded onboard maps annually that are likely filled with errors the minute they ship them. In an era of free and updated direction info, let's talk about a broken business model!

We also have a Garmin RV GPS unit on the left side of the dash, but I only use it for a constant view of what is behind the Airstream, unless we can't get a cell signal, in which case it has proven very useful for directions.

So why is WAZE our clear number one choice?

Interactivity, meaning critical information only available on Waze from brother and sister Wazers!

Yesterday on a five-hour drive there were TWO separate occasions where it accurately notified me in plenty of time that there was a hazard in my lane. That is such a desirable safety feature, and is the only program that provides it, or the other range of information provided by other Wazers, such as vehicles on the side or the road or police. I felt strongly enough about it to write this post.

I would say the only negative is that Waze doesn't show alternate routes, allowing me to click one or the other, or maybe it does and I don't know it!

What do you think? How do you navigate? Safe travels!

[rmkrum]

Sygic app with internally preloaded maps on an iPhone if I’m out of network coverage, google maps on the same phone if I have good cell coverage.

AAA TripTik paper maps as backup if all technology turns to ashes…

[richard5933]

There's one more thing that Waze does not do unless they've added it recently... It won't info you about height and weight restrictions on your route. For these features alone I use a Garmin aimed at the trucking world. They have similar features in their RV line. There's been more than a few times this feature has kept me from getting down a road only to find out that I couldn't make it through.

[AKNate]

One thing I wish any/all nav apps had is MUCH better lane guidance. It knows 20 miles ahead what lane you’ll need to be in for your next turn, but it keeps that information secret until 5 seconds before it needs you to be three lanes over in rush hour traffic.

[Hittenstiehl]

AKNate I agree, when you see the folks around you doing an erratic dive across three lanes I often say they're driving by navigation that's lagging or slow.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by AKNate

One thing I wish any/all nav apps had is MUCH better lane guidance. It knows 20 miles ahead what lane you’ll need to be in for your next turn, but it keeps that information secret until 5 seconds before it needs you to be three lanes over in rush hour traffic.

The newer Garmin units can give you that information as soon as you see the next turn show up on the screen. It will automatically give you the lane guidance about 1/4 mile before the turn, but you can tap the 'next turn' spot on the screen at any time to see the lane guidance.

[SuperTrouper]

We use Waze all the time but the one thing is doesn't do well is address towing speeds. I sent them a message once asking them for a "trailer" or "truck" mode so that the speeds and travel times were more accurate. They wrote back and told me to quit using Waze and screwing up their algorithm by driving slow (they were nicer than that but it's basically what they said). So I just add an hour to each 4 hours of reported arrival time and it works out pretty close with slower travel (55 in CA) and stops. The instant hazard warnings are worth the pain. - Brad

[Philip Jones]

We call it “Google time”. Meaning if Google maps states our trip will be 6 hours, it’ll actually be 8 once we add 2 for speed, stops, fuel, etc. It has become a reflex for us now and my wife and I know exactly what we both mean when we say it.

The iOS 16 update for Apple maps allows for multiple stops input ahead of time, basically the same as Google maps.

[Bluetick]

Waze was developed in Israel as an app to help drivers avoid developing and ongoing terror attacks. In that country catching speeding drivers (which is 100% of all their drivers) is a very low priority. But here, the app substitutes speed traps and traffic jams for terrorist attacks. So it still works very well.

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by richard5933

The newer Garmin units can give you that information as soon as you see the next turn show up on the screen. It will automatically give you the lane guidance about 1/4 mile before the turn, but you can tap the 'next turn' spot on the screen at any time to see the lane guidance.

They all associate lane guidance with turns, if it’s given at all. Saying I need to be in the third lane at the time of the turn is ok, but what I really need to know is what lane now will put me there efficiently. In most major metro areas lanes come and go all the time. What is now the second lane may become the third lane three miles down the road. Or if I want to go straight, what lane can I be in that won’t be forced to exit at some point. You’re not making a turn, so it won’t tell you.
I also agree a truck/tow mode would be great. Google now has a Most Fuel Efficient route, which is actually pretty good for also being the most towable route.
Waze was half-way there with their response saying that driving slow towing messes up their algorithm, but instead of saying don’t use Waze, they should have realized the tow mode suggested is a perfect way to filter drivers and improve accuracy for both towers and non-towers. They admit towing messes up the estimates for cars, but they don’t put two and two together - tow mode helps regular car drivers, even if they never use it. All the apps are written for cars, but I wonder what percentage of users are actually trucks/RVs/towing. People driving around their own town don’t typically need directions (they may use it for accident/traffic notifications in big cities). The people I would think are primarily using navigation are people traveling outside their home area, a much greater percentage of which are likely to be truck or rv drivers vs just the traffic on the road.

[fotoman1527]

Originally Posted by Bluetick

Waze was developed in Israel as an app to help drivers avoid developing and ongoing terror attacks. In that country catching speeding drivers (which is 100% of all their drivers) is a very low priority. But here, the app substitutes speed traps and traffic jams for terrorist attacks. So it still works very well.

Thank you for the historical reference. Isn't it amazing how development of a product for one thing worked out so well for another? Post it notes anyone?