Google Maps will be the best option for many users to navigate from point A to point B, but have you ever heard of Waze? This app does things just that little bit differently. In this article, we’ll tell you what you need to know about Waze.
Tip 01: Only for vehicles
One of the things that makes Waze different is that the app doesn’t target all forms of traffic. If you want to cycle or run, this app is of no use to you. That’s on purpose: Waze doesn’t want to be a good app for all traffic, Waze wants to be the best app for drivers. Hence, it focuses on one segment. This immediately makes the app easier to use than many other navigation apps, simply because you don’t have to set how you travel. You travel on four wheels, period… well yes, there is a mode for motorcycles, but that aside. There is also navigation for taxis, but this mode is not supported in the Netherlands.
Tip 02: Social
Waze is also a social app, which means that the app (Android / iOS) not only collects information from all Waze users to provide up-to-date information about road congestion, for example, but also that users can easily pass on information themselves, for example about road accidents and traffic jams. Users also actively do this, so that there is real-time information about the state of the road and, for example, you can take a different route in time. This benefits the flow of traffic. In addition, it allows users to indicate the location of speed cameras and mobile controls, which is obviously a popular feature among users.
Waze even keeps track of whether you are driving too fast
Tip 03: Speed ​​limit
The power of Waze is also in small things. When you are driving, you can see how fast you are driving at the bottom left. Now you can of course also see this on your own car, but the difference is that your car does not know what the maximum speed is and Waze does (note: this applies to standard situations and not to incidental changes). When you reach a speed that is higher than the speed limit, the font color will be shown in red so that it draws your attention and you know you are speeding. It is a pity that you cannot report adjusted speed limits yourself (for example, during work in progress), but that may be to guarantee safety on the road. There is also a way to indicate that the speed limit is incorrect (via the button Notify (orange circle) and then Card error, but that is not intended for temporary situations.
Tip 04: Make a report
What is important when using Waze is that you do not only consume, but also report situations yourself. There is a lot of information that can be collected by the app itself, but when an accident happens in front of you, the app is of course not aware of it. You can then (as soon as it is safe) press the orange circle at the bottom right, after which you can indicate various things, such as a traffic jam, an accident or another form of danger. Interestingly, you can also ask for help in the event of a car breakdown, indicating exactly what’s going on. Co-users can then come to your aid when they have the opportunity to do so.
Tip 05: Link calendar
Handy (but, in all fairness not unique) is the possibility to link your calendar. You do this by pressing the icon with the magnifying glass in the lower left corner of the navigation view and then the option Link calendar at the bottom. This is not only useful so that you know where to go quickly and easily, the app also warns you (based on the real-time traffic information) when it is time to leave, so that you never really have a reason to be late. Incidentally, the app is linked to your standard calendar (so your Google calendar on Android and your Apple calendar in iOS), so you don’t have much control over that.
Alternatives
Waze and Google Maps aren’t the only navigation apps out there, of course. There are still many alternatives. What about Sygic, which does not use the map information from Google, but from TomTom. HERE WeGo is also a handy app with which you can adjust your navigation just a bit more than with Google Maps. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the alternatives on Google Maps.
Tip 06: Send arrival time
The great thing about an app that knows what time you have to leave is that it knows exactly what time you will arrive. Of course, TomTom or Google Maps can in principle do that too, but Waze bases that time on real-time traffic information collected by other traffic users. You can easily let your contacts know what time you will be arriving via Waze. When you have planned and started your route, a menu will appear with, among other things, a green button with a car in it and the text below Send ETA (which stands for estimated time of arrival). When you press this button, you select a contact and send your arrival time. If this contact does not have a Waze account, you send a text message. If the person in question does have a Waze account, he or she will receive a notification in Waze. The important difference is that with an account you can also view your progress and see where you are now, which is obviously not possible with a text message.
Tip 07: Route overview
We’ve already talked about Waze’s social features. They also come in handy when planning a route. Imagine you are planning a route and someone on that route has indicated that there is danger. In that case, a triangle with an exclamation mark will appear on the screen. You then know that something is going on on your planned route (this can of course also be a traffic jam or road closure). You can then press the button Routes on the left to select another route where there may be no details. At the top right you see a gear, if you press this you can indicate whether you (default) go for the fastest route or want to avoid highways. The idea behind this is that you usually make the same choice, so that option does not have to be shown again in every screen and with every route.
Tip 08: Fuel prices
An additional feature included in the app is the ability to save money on fuel. Imagine you are standing at a petrol station and you see that the prices of fuel are very favorable here. Then you can press the button Notify (the orange circle) and then on Fuel prices (This is only possible after you have driven more than 160 kilometers with the app). You can then indicate exactly what the fuel costs at this petrol pump. Conversely, you can easily see for yourself what the prices are at other petrol stations. In the menu (which you bring forward while driving by pressing the blue button with the arrow down), press the icon with the gas station. You will then immediately see an overview of which petrol stations there are and what the fuel costs there exactly. With the icon at the top right you can again indicate your default preferences, for example sorting by distance, price or brand. This option is of course available to everyone, not just those who have driven more than 100 miles.
Tip 09: Flexible voice
You can fully control Waze with your voice, which is of course very safe. But Waze also talks to you a lot and if you are in the car often and for a long time, you better get the instructions from a voice that you like. Many navigation apps have a blood-irritating voice – which is what we actually think about ‘Femke’, Waze’s default voice. Fortunately, you can choose a different voice. You choose a voice by pressing the icon with the gear wheel in the top right-hand corner in the menu (which you call up by pressing the magnifying glass) and then Voting instructions. The number of Dutch votes (two) is very limited compared to the number of English-speaking votes. That only has to be a problem, since you have been able to record your own voice for a while. Incidentally, a Flemish voice is also available. By the way, we had thought that that would be a very time-consuming job, but it is not too bad. Apparently, recording 43 sentences is all it takes to provide a navigation system with your own voice. Does anyone have Queen Máximá’s phone number?
Tip 10: Link Spotify
Finally, a function that is not so much useful, but very pleasant. During long car journeys your favorite music can have a relaxing effect and the easier it is to recall it, the safer. You can of course let the music play through your car radio, but that does not always work well with the navigation (if something is wrong, you must be able to understand it). For that reason, it is super convenient that you can simply link your Spotify account to your Waze app. Not only does this ensure that the music automatically goes down a bit for important announcements, it also ensures that you can easily listen to Spotify via your car kit, even in cars with a radio system that does not support Spotify.
The sun rises for nothing
Waze is completely free and we absolutely love it. Is there nothing annoying about this app? Unfortunately yes. Of course, developing and maintaining an app like Waze costs a lot of money and someone has to pay that bill. Waze does this not by charging money for the app, but by building in advertising. Of course, that advertisement is not shown while driving, but for example when you are standing still in front of a traffic light or when you are close to a certain location. While we understand that Waze has to be paid, it does create some distraction in some way. In fact, we would rather we just had to pay a few euros for Waze.
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