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Waze (for iPhone) Review

4.0
Excellent

The Bottom Line

Waze is an excellent app for drivers who need to know the location and severity of traffic along their route, and enjoy sharing their knowledge of the road.

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Pros

  • Free user-generated traffic information.
  • Accurate, easy-to-read maps.

Cons

  • No walking or public transit directions.
  • Fewer voice prompts than competing apps.
  • No lane guidance.

Waze is owned by Google, though it remains a separate, cross-platform free GPS app. You can access traffic information from Waze in Google Maps, though you can only report or confirm traffic incidents in the Waze app itself. The app was updated earlier this year with faster search, Amber Alerts, and a new Time in Traffic bar. In addition, you can now save your Waze data and bring it to a new phone simply by providing your registered phone number. Waze is a great tool for car navigation, especially in traffic-prone areas, though if you need walking, transit, or even cycling directions, Google Maps is your best bet.

Interface and Points of Interest
After I downloaded Waze on my iPhone and provided my phone number, I received a verification code that unlocked my account; I had previously used Waze only on Android devices. The interface is the same here: Fire it up, and you see an animated map of your current location, showing the speed of local traffic and the number of nearby "Wazers." From here, you can tap on the Waze bubble at the bottom left of your screen to navigate, access My Waze, or check your inbox. You can also toggle sound, open the settings menu, or put Waze into a snooze mode. Using the Send button, you can share your ETA, destination, home or work address, or current location with your contacts. This also enables Waze to access your contacts and search for other Waze users you might know, so keep that in mind.

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My Waze lets you set your mood, view friends, check your scoreboard, and set home and work addresses. You earn points the more you drive with Waze and unlock features like the aforementioned moods, which are basically like costumes for your Waze avatar.

Waze found all six of the New York destinations I threw at it, including a restaurant that had changed hands in the last year, as well as nearby parks and museums. While driving, you can see the distance to your next turn, with an arrow pointing in the correct direction. At the bottom of the screen is your ETA, travel time, and distance. In addition, you can see how fast or slow traffic is moving, and any incidents that other Wazers have reported, such as accidents, construction, or police presence. When you near an incident, you'll get a pop-up that you can click for more details. If you hit traffic, you can report specifically how congested it is, whether it's on your side or the other side of the road, and even take a picture.

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Waze (for iPhone)

Car Navigation and Traffic
I took Waze on the same routes that I requested from Apple Maps, Google Maps, and MapQuest. The first stop was the Fairway Market in Harlem, which is somewhat tricky to get to from my neighborhood. Not surprisingly, Waze used the same route that Google Maps did. MapQuest got me there in a slightly different way, while Apple Maps sent me down the wrong road completely.

Waze doesn't offer as much voice guidance as Apple and MapQuest, nor does it offer visual lane guidance, like Google Maps does. You also can't see a full list of turns. The app recalculates quickly if you miss a turn, and offers better rerouting than MapQuest. With both apps, I purposely missed my exit; Waze sent me to the next exit, which got me home quickly, while MapQuest sent me two exits away and added much more travel time.

If more than one route is available, Waze will choose the fastest route based on traffic calculations. In this case, you'll hear a voice prompt say "let's go via" instead of "let's go." You can still choose a different route if you prefer, but it might cause delays. In general, traffic reports were accurate, though at one point in testing, I saw a police presence alert, but didn't see a marked police car on my route. Photos of your destination, uploaded by Waze users, are displayed if available.

You can teach Waze your preferred routes and roadways simply by driving them several times. One small annoyance is that the location services setting only has two choices: always or never. I prefer apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps, which have an option to turn location services on only when you're using the app, which is more convenient and better for battery life (not to mention privacy).

The app has a night mode that you can turn on and off whenever you want, which can be helpful on overcast days. You can also switch between 2D and 3D maps, or have the app automatically choose based on the situation. Unlike Google Maps, Waze does not offer walking or public transit directions. This app is strictly for driving directions only.

Avoid Traffic Jams
If you travel a lot by car and hate getting stuck in traffic, Waze is a no-brainer. Though its traffic information has been integrated into Google Maps, you can only report and confirm traffic incidents inside the Waze app, which is great if you like the social aspect of the app. However, if you're not traveling by car, Waze can't help you. For that, you should stick with our Editors' Choice, Google Maps.

Waze (for iPhone)
4.0
Pros
  • Free user-generated traffic information.
  • Accurate, easy-to-read maps.
Cons
  • No walking or public transit directions.
  • Fewer voice prompts than competing apps.
  • No lane guidance.
The Bottom Line

Waze is an excellent app for drivers who need to know the location and severity of traffic along their route, and enjoy sharing their knowledge of the road.

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About Molly McLaughlin

Molly K. McLaughlin is a New York-based writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering technology. She has tested and reviewed all sorts of software, mobile apps, and gadgets. Before launching her freelance business, Molly was an editor at PC Magazine, covering consumer electronics, followed by a stint at ConsumerSearch.com, a review website. She also contributes to Lifewire.com and other online publications.

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