App of the Week – Waze

Marketed as ‘the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app’, Waze has recently hit the headlines after being purchased by tech giant Google. Curious to see what all the fuss is about, we decided to give the app a test drive…

After a brief signup process we were quickly thrown in to the main ‘sat nav’ portion of the app. Powered by its own community-curated maps, Waze may not feature the bells and whistles of Google Maps, but then again this is an app built primarily for driving so there’s really no need for 3D buildings or public transport information (luckily the satellite navigation is fully voiced though!).

Instead, what makes Waze’s maps stand out from the competition is just how community-focused they are. Take the screenshot below left for example.  Not only can you see that traffic is around 4mph through the Euston Underpass, but there’s also a rather helpful community member called IvanIvanovHappy who has tagged this area as having moderately heavy traffic.

With this information at its disposal, Waze can change your route on the fly, using community-sourced data to get you to your destination in the quickest time possible –  saving you some fuel along the way!

As well as traffic information, Waze also allows users to submit reports of police speed checks, accidents, road closures and even petrol prices. For every report submitted you will subsequently receive ‘Waze Points’ which can be collected and displayed on your profile for bragging rights.

Another feature which separates Waze from the crowd is its ability to share your location in real time. Say – for example – that you’re on your way to see family for Christmas, but you’re not quite sure when you’re going to arrive. With Waze, you can simply share your location with a family member and they can keep track of your progress. That’s one less excuse for over-cooked brussel sprouts!

Waze is available now and can be downloaded for free from both the App Store and Google’s Play Store.