They never should have been allowed to buy it in the first place.
I’ve always been confused why Google keeps Waze and Maps completely separate. Google Maps interface with Waze crowd sourcing would be killer.
They’re separate because Waze has a reputation of giving more “aggressive” routing, and has a social aspect to it. Stuff that really doesn’t belong in Google Maps.
What’s aggressive routing? Like more prone to induce road rage?
And through quiet neighborhood communities where people are out in the streets playing with the kids, walking the dog or getting a run in.
Someone in my neighborhood got hit while walking their dog by someone using Waze.
Be careful of confirmation bias and the availability heuristic. One irresponsible person does not define the masses.
Thanks! Yes, you are correct, confirmation bias and availability heuristic did cloud my thinking. That said, there is data showing that Waze has changed traffic patterns (and an attempt by urban and transportation planners to combat those changes) as a result of directing drivers outside the streets intended for heavy use.
I also found this interesting qualitative study done on 50 Waze users showing Waze users “demonstrate behaviors and patterns which resemble those of technological dependency.”
“The majority of non-users of WAZE were likely to adopt the application after exposure to its benefits. The interface is also similar to a gaming interface that heightens consumers’ engagement. At the same time, these features generate concerns that use of the application promotes maladaptive driving patterns and creates distractions for drivers. …
Participants in the current study were asked whether using the application diminishes their sense of orientation on the road during their normal everyday functioning and driving on the road. Half of interviewees (25) recounted that when they use the application, they do not notice the road; they feel as if they are driving “without seeing” and they shift the responsibility for driving from themselves to the application. As a result, the use of WAZE app impairs normal functioning of taking responsibility of the driving.”
No study is perfect and this one certainly has some issues, but it does point to concerning patterns that those of us who live in impacted neighborhoods have witnessed.
Like making you take an extra 10 turns, take a longer route, and drive on too-narrow roads, to potentially save only several minutes of being stopped in traffic.
Waze will route you off the highway onto side streets if it thinks it will save you 30 seconds, where Google Maps will keep you on the highway unless it’s closed entirely. The Waze routing only works if you’re the only one using Waze in the area too. If you’re the thenth person Waze has sent down a tiny side street, you end up in your own mini Waze-induced traffic jam that eats up the entire time savings.
It’s basically: “hey this route might be 1s faster, let’s add these three turns to your route”.
I actually hate it. That’s one of the things I absolutely love about TomTom. From what I can tell, TomTom even prefers routing where you have right turns vs ones where you have to take left turns. And of course they prefer the slightly (!) “longer” route over one where you have to turn more and/or drive through narrow passages.
So in other words: Waze prefers the fastest route, ignoring other parameters that are relevant for driving.
My parents: I don’t trust Google. That’s why I use Waze.
Last year me: I don’t trust Reddit, that’s why I use old.Reddit.
- tenet ( @tenet@kbin.social ) 9•1 year ago
I would immediately stop using Maps if I had to deal with any sort of social media infiltration. I already stopped using it in favor of Apple Maps if I have to do transit routing (Apple’s a bit more accurate with timetables).
Google Maps has user submitted reports. I’m not sure if reports in one app reflect in the other but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Waze’s app is a lot more engaging and would be distracting for someone used to Google maps. Waze has, as a result managed to do this crowdsourcing and gamify the experience. I don’t really think Google maps could try that without alienating a lot of people.
Don’t worry, it will be on killedbygoogle.com soon
Which, in this particular case, wouldn’t be a bad thing. Just integrate the community aspects into Google Maps, make them optional.
Google Maps is a good general maps app, but Waze is really good at one thing only: driving. In Waze you can share your drive, look for gas stations along the way (with prices and travel time), use toll passes, and get a personalized ETA based on your driving.
Google has had the chance to implement these features into Maps for the 10 years it has owned Wazd but just hasn’t, and I don’t think they will. At least not all of them.
You can do all these in Maps (minus toll passes). I’m not sure how an ETA could be personalized (I don’t use Waze) but Maps is pretty accurate with ETAs as is.
I’m not sure how an ETA could be personalized
In Germany for example there are large sections of the highway with no enforced speed limit. Depending on the traffic, I can easily speed with 200 km/h. Do I? Well, that will depend. At least in the past I did. So the prognosis when I will arrive on a route with mostly highways would be highly different for me than for someone who prefers to drive 120 km/h.
Obviously the other way around is the same: even when 130 km/h are the allowed maximum, I could legally drive 100km/h (or even less). If the software calculated my time of arrival by assuming I will speed to the maximum, it will be wrong.
–> Personalization.
I like the driving features too. Do note, that in germany im pretty sure using waze is kinda not so legal, because you can get warnings for speed cameras that are specific for where your going. Only in the radio it is allowed to warn drivers, cause thats not specifically for your location. As far as im aware at least.
Waze has other features that Maps is missing.
Waze is the only routing software I know that can handle vignettes.
What are vignettes in the context of driving?
You know… vignettes - Waze gots what maps crave… vignettes.
Tickets you need to use some roads, like the autobahn
They allow you to drive on certain roads in some countries.
at this point it doesn’t matter, but the fact that they were allowed to buy it is a travesty.
Waze was the only app with the capilarity to get enough mapping data to be competitive.
Google Maps’ pricing for their API is insane and there’s no viable alternative outside the USA.
They bought it to kill it.
Left it on long enough to pretend they’ve given it a good faith effort
Along with their own search engine and the internet when it was fun and useful
It makes me sad that people are losing their jobs. Somewhere out there are real people with real families wondering what they’re going to do if they’re out of a job. It just sucks.
EmbraceBuy,extenddo nothing with it, extinguish.
I’ve long wondered how much longer Google would maintain two different mapping apps. It’s long seemed like Waze acted as a beta test of Google Maps experiments, but I think it’s starting to outlive our digital overlords’ usefulness
Surprised it took this long honestly. For my navigation needs, Magic Earth works great, and does include crowd sourced reporting similar to Waze.
First I’ve heard of Magic Earth, seems pretty cool. Do you know how they operate without any user subscriptions or data harvesting?
If google implemented the social aspects of Waze into maps it would be the ultimate maps app. I understand that the nature of google maps is different than Waze’s, but maybe including a social mode in maps that shows all the information that Waze shows would make it a million times better.
I would love to have this!
Just a reminder that Wyze Bridge exists. It’s great for self hosting your wyze camera stream. It also works with Home AssistantWyze, Waze, Tomato, Tomahtoe
I read good. Sorry about that, wrong app.
I think this is about Waze, the mapping/navigation app.
Holy cow you’re right, sorry about that. That’ll teach me to read good.
Looks like someone went to the Derek Zoolander Center for Children Who Can’t Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too
I gradutated top of my klass
Thank you for the Link to Wyze Bridge though, I was looking for something exactly like that!
I know it was an accidental post, but thanks anyway! I have a bunch of old Wyze cams and the last time I looked at Wyze Bridge it was barely functional.
I’m glad it could be of help!
You may still have reached wyze users that were unaware!
Ugh
The enshittification continues
Sorry to hear this, I really liked the social aspect of Waze where you could report things you saw on the road.
You can do this in Google Maps, no? Isn’t that like the only thing that Google seems to have implemented from Waze?
You can do this in Google Maps, no?
Not surprising
