Waze is a navigation app whose map is built by the people using it. Every driver with it open feeds in live speed information, and anyone can flag trouble they pass on the way. It weighs all of that to point you at the best way through, and it only works when your phone is online.
The map is powered by its users. The reports come from other drivers using the app, and the speeds it works with come from people driving with it open right now.
What Waze does for a driver
- It gives you maps and navigation that are powered by its users.
- It picks up real-time information from anyone driving with the app open, and uses it to work out average speeds and improve the road layout.
- It lets drivers send reports on traffic, accidents, police traps, blocked roads and weather.
- It collects data for every road driven with the app open, compares the possible routes and suggests the optimal one.
- It lets you change your privacy settings whenever you like.
How the crowd-sourced map plays out on a real journey
You open the app, set where you're going and start driving. While you do, your phone is feeding back real-time information about the roads you're on. Waze's own help centre says the maps and navigation are powered by users, and that's literal: your trip becomes part of the picture the next driver sees.
Multiply that by everyone else on the road and the app has live data to calculate average speeds from. Those averages feed the route comparison behind the suggestion you see.
Reports add the human layer on top of the speed data, sent in by drivers themselves rather than worked out from how they move.
The road layout improves the same way. Data is collected for every road driven with the app open, and that's what the layout and the route suggestions are built on.
Who the app was designed around
Its makers set it up as a social navigation tool, and the vehicles they had in mind were private cars, motorcycles and taxis.
The catch: no data connection, no Waze
The limit that catches people out is signal. All of Waze needs an active data connection on your mobile device to work, so in a dead spot it can neither find you a route nor guide you down one.
Reports don't wait for a signal either. The app won't hold a hazard report and send it later, so anything you flag in a dead spot doesn't reach other drivers.
That matters on remote routes, in areas with patchy coverage or when you're low on mobile data. If your journey crosses that kind of ground, plan around it before you set off rather than finding out halfway.
Lanes it doesn't handle
There's a second limit worth knowing. The app doesn't currently support navigating in lanes set aside for public transport, bicycles or trucks. So if you drive a bus, ride a bike or run a lorry route, it isn't built with your lanes in mind.
Getting the most from a map drivers build
There's no special trick to getting started, but a few habits suit an app that runs on what its users put in:
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- Make sure you're online before setting off.
- Use it in a private car, on a motorcycle or in a taxi, which is what it was made for.
- Keep the app open while you drive so your trip adds to the live speed data everyone else relies on.
- Send a report when you pass traffic, an accident, a police trap, a blocked road or bad weather, and only when it's safe to do so.
- Look at your privacy settings and adjust them to suit you; you can change them at any time.
If you're weighing it up against the map you already use, our side-by-side of Waze and Google Maps walks through where each one fits.
Who Waze suits, and who should look elsewhere
It suits everyday drivers who want live reports from other drivers and a route chosen by comparing the alternatives. Commuters, taxi drivers and motorcyclists are squarely the audience it was built for.
It suits people who like to give a little back, too. The more drivers report and drive with it open, the more live data there is to work with.
It's a weaker fit if you travel through places with little or no signal, since navigation stops without a connection. It's also not the tool for bus, bike or truck lanes. If either describes most of your trips, you're better off with something designed for that job.
Frequently asked questions
Is Waze made for motorcycles?
Yes. Motorcycles are one of the three vehicle types it was created for, alongside private cars and taxis.
Do I have to keep Waze open for it to help other drivers?
Yes. Your trip only feeds the live picture while the app is open on your device as you drive.
Can I report bad weather on Waze?
Yes. Weather sits on the list of things you can flag, next to traffic and police traps.
Does Waze share information while I drive?
Yes, as long as the app is open. Your trip feeds the averages it calculates and helps improve its map of the roads.
Can I change my Waze privacy settings?
Yes, you can adjust them at any time. For what each setting covers, check the Waze help centre.
