With a slew of new social reporting features, Google Maps has taken a page from the Waze playbook. Ever since Google acquired Waze, the popular community-powered navigation app, for a cool $1.2 billion in 2013, there’s been speculation that the tech giant would one day pull the plug on the plucky GPS tool with over 100 million active monthly users.
After years of piecemeal integration of Waze features into Google Maps, last week Google executed what could be a fatal blow by taking away Waze’s main point of difference.
Whether you use an iPhone or Android smartphone, you can now get real-time reports from the Google Maps community on crashes, speed traps and traffic slowdowns. Also new is the ability to report four new types of incidents – construction, lane closures, disabled vehicles, and objects on the road. Sound familiar?
Up to now, the ability to report and receive reports about upcoming traffic, road hazards and police sightings is what has made Waze stand out from all the other navigation apps out there. If drivers can get the same features from faster-loading Google Maps, which some people believe is superior in practically every other way, why do they still need Waze?
Waze won’t disappear immediately, of course. It will be a slow demise. It will take some time for Google Maps users to start using the new social features and for Waze users to migrate. The future looks very uncertain for Waze.
