Google purchased Waze in June 2013 and the crowdsourced navigation app continues to focus on the actual journey from point “A” to point “B.” Google Maps, on the other hand, not only gets users from point “A” to point “B” quickly and safely, but it will also recommend to travelers places to eat, sleep, or find entertainment once they arrive at point “B.” Waze users report on certain traffic, road, and weather conditions to help others know what to expect in terms of delays or detours while alerting them to areas where there is a police presence.
In the latest update to the iOS and Android versions of Waze, there is a new round orange hazard icon in the lower right corner. Tapping that icon takes the user to a screen that says “What do you see?” From this page, users can report various conditions that are affecting their journey on the highway and could impact fellow travelers. Some of these options include:
Traffic
- Heavy
- Standstill
- Hidden
- Other side
- Pile-up
- Other side
- Construction
- Car on shoulder
- Broken traffic light
- Pothole
- Objec
- Slippery road
- Flood
- Unlowed road
- Fog
- Icy road
- Left lane
- Center lane
- Right lane
Waze also removed some traffic conditions from the app such as roadkill which had been listed under the “Hazard” category on the app. Another hazard, a car stuck in the middle of the road has been removed although there is an option under “Hazard” for a car on the shoulder of the road
The update is currently rolling out to the iOS and Android versions of the Waze app. Interestingly, the update is live on my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 17.3.1. You can install the Waze appon your iPhone by tapping on this link. If you have an Android device, press this link to get the app from the Play Store.