Apple Maps vs Waze
I used Waze for several years before switching to Apple Maps this year. My main reason for switching to Apple Maps was mostly due to privacy concerns. When the drive notifications on Waze stopped working for me, I took it as a cue to try out another navigation app. Here are the differences that I’ve noticed between these two navigation apps:
Apple Maps
- Comes free with an iPhone.
- No ads, which means your data is not being sold to advertisers.
- Provides navigation overlay on top of other apps. This works when you have another app running, in addition to Apple Maps. When you switch to another app while you have Apple Maps navigating in the background, it will show an overlay on top of the current app informing you of the next turn you need to take.
- Has very good lane guidance. Meaning it tells you what lane you should be on. Can be really useful on those confusing highways that split into two or three other roads.
- Very good battery consumption.
- Can sometimes provide the wrong navigation instructions.
- For example, when we tried using it to navigate to the place where my son gets his haircut, it lead us to an apartment's parking lot across from the destination. The problem was that there was a fence in between. So we couldn't just get off the car and walk. We had to drive back out to the road, go around the block before arriving at the destination. To be fair, Waze also did the same thing. Only Google Maps got it right actually.
- Lesson learned here, if navigating to a new destination, I should double check the location on Google Maps or Bing Maps with satellite view turned on.
- When we tried to navigate to the Dallas zoo, for some reason it could not figure out the correct entrance to the zoo. Waze did figure this out though.
- For example, when we tried using it to navigate to the place where my son gets his haircut, it lead us to an apartment's parking lot across from the destination. The problem was that there was a fence in between. So we couldn't just get off the car and walk. We had to drive back out to the road, go around the block before arriving at the destination. To be fair, Waze also did the same thing. Only Google Maps got it right actually.
- It is less intuitive to use than Waze. For example, asking the app to re-evaluate routes is easier to do with Waze.
- Has very basic reporting features which pales in comparison to what you can do/report with Waze.
Waze
- It is a fun navigation app.
- You can select cool looking avatars to represent you on the map. I use the ninja avatar.
- Occasionally it has funny custom navigation voices like Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. That made for a pretty comical drive. My son actually enjoyed it.
- There is a video game like progression for users, where users level up the more they use the app for navigation.
- Has detailed reporting features which is great. It allows you to report almost every possible thing that you might see on the road. The road hazards are particularly helpful. For example, when you are coming up on a blind curve, being alerted to a possible stalled vehicle up ahead or an item in the middle of the road can help avoid accidents.
- The flip side to this is that encouraging people to report while they are driving, is also a source of distraction for drivers.
- The app is free to use, but it comes with ads (which is how they keep it free), so your privacy and data are very much compromised with this app. Not to mention, Waze is owned by Google.
- When you're stopped at an intersection, it will occasionally ask you if you’ve seen an advertisement for a particular brand. I hate this aspect of Waze. It's kind of like they are asking me to do some work for them, except I'm not getting paid if I do. I'm actually paying them for the use of the app with my navigation data.
- Has very good routing algorithms. I would say it's rerouting algorithm is much more adventurous than the one in Apple Maps. Apple Maps tries to stick with the main roads, roads that you are most likely already familiar with. Waze on the other hand is not shy about routing you through various back roads, which helps you get to know more roads along your commute.
- Has social media integration which other people might like, but I don’t really need.
- Had “drive” notifications (notifications to let people know the progress of your drive) which used to work, but aren't reliable on my phone anymore, which is part of the reason why I looked for an alternative.
After using Apple Maps for a few months, it is now my preferred navigation app for everyday driving, especially for my weekday commutes. Minimal battery consumption, no ads and less privacy concerns are its best traits.
I still do occasionally use Waze though. I feel like Waze is a superior navigation app when getting to know a city, as it can teach you about roads you might not even consider driving on. So, whenever I'm driving to an unfamiliar destination, or there is heavy traffic on the way (like driving to a concert), I prefer to use Waze. Once I'm comfortable driving to and from a specific destination, I switch back to using Apple Maps for future drives to that destination.