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Google-owned navigation app Waze now lets users send directions from the Waze website straight to the mobile app, thanks to an update announced this week.

waze-live-web-phone.jpeg

The change means Waze users can now plan and view their journey on a bigger screen via the Waze Live Map, which features real-time traffic information, and then send the details from the desktop to the Waze app on their iPhone.

To use the new feature, make sure you've updated to the latest version of Waze, then follow the steps below:
  1. On a desktop web browser, visit the Waze Live Map.
  2. Click the Log In button in the top-right corner.
  3. Scan the QR code that appears with your iPhone's camera to log in.
  4. Plan your route by setting an origin, a destination point, and when you want to travel.
    Click Save to App.
  5. Open the Waze app on your iPhone and you should see the pre-planned route ready to follow. If you planned to arrive at a particular time, the app will send you a reminder of when you need to leave, taking into account real-time traffic conditions.
Waze can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Waze Now Lets Users Send Directions From Desktop to Mobile App
 
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Still can't choose it as defaultnNav app in Carplay, pretty sure Apple let you do that about 12 months ago. The only app I can see that does is Magic Earth.
 
Still can't choose it as defaultnNav app in Carplay, pretty sure Apple let you do that about 12 months ago. The only app I can see that does is Magic Earth.
Google Maps now works with the CarPlay Dashboard as of a week or two ago. But I agree, I’ve only been waiting for Waze support...

This is a cool feature, though. Reminds me of the 2000s, when no one had cellular data, this was how you got trip and map data onto your Pocket PC or car. I used to plan a trip on the PC and the app or website would give you a file to load onto an SD card. Or for the car, it pushed OTA but was slow and you could only store 5 at a time.
 
I've known about Waze for awhile now but never used Waze. Nevertheless, this is really cool that this can be done now.
 
I've known about Waze for awhile now but never used Waze. Nevertheless, this is really cool that this can be done now.
It really shines in major cities. I do grubhub part time in Philly and have to do it during rush hour. Waze has saved me time and time again with avoiding streets that are backed up.
 
Maybe it's just me but I can't see why this feature is really needed ?

It's actually very helpful when you are planning a route (typically longer than average) with multiple planned stops. That's rare though for most people that just want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible and avoid traffic/construction.
 
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Google Maps now works with the CarPlay Dashboard as of a week or two ago. But I agree, I’ve only been waiting for Waze support...

Waze was "last" to Carplay so this is not surprising that Google would push its primary product first and then leave the table scraps of resources to do that 'waze' thingy... once they were purchased by Google, the product has gone down the toilet. "Police reported ahead" is the only thing of any value in that app anymore.
 
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This is what I have been asking for in MAP Navigation App. Without this features like sending route from desktop to mobile and simpler UI to be able to select stops between source and destination and route through it to create custom route/s, any Map App is not complete. Apple, please do the same in Apple Map.
 
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This is what I have been asking for in MAP Navigation App. Without this features like sending route from desktop to mobile and simpler UI to be able to select stops between source and destination and route through it to create custom route/s, any Map App is not complete. Apple, please do the same in Apple Map.

You can...as long as you have a Mac. Apple Maps really needs to be released as a universal web app.
 
I use Waze on a daily basis. I’ve tried to use Apple Maps but it’s not the same. Having real time reports that a cop is ahead or an accident reported is too important not to have.

Does Apple Maps have live traffic updates?

Apple Maps has very good live traffic. It just looks different than Google where Google likes to also show you were there isn’t traffic (green) and Apple only shows you where it is.

Apple also does a better job of NOT showing “traffic” at areas like stop signs or traffic lights unless there is a true back-up outside of the normal flow in those areas.
 
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It really shines in major cities. I do grubhub part time in Philly and have to do it during rush hour. Waze has saved me time and time again with avoiding streets that are backed up.
Right, same in San Francisco. Waze excels at on-the-fly (re)routing. It does that exceedingly well in my experience.

But what good is a pre-planned trip from the night before? QR code, whatever. Might as well be printing out a map from mapquest in 2005.

Maybe I’m missing something?

Edit: the article says you can send “directions” from desktop to mobile; does it mean destinations? Presumably the directions are going to be calculated in real-time by the app running on your phone.

I still don’t see why this is such a big deal as to warrant an article 🤷‍♂️
 
Apple Maps has very good live traffic. It just looks different than Google where Google likes to also show you were there isn’t traffic (green) and Apple only shows you where it is.

Apple also does a better job of NOT showing “traffic” at areas like stop signs or traffic lights unless there is a true back-up outside of the normal flow in those areas.
I disagree. The crowdsourced alerts (police and accidents) are the most valuable, but those also happen to be the alerts that Apple Maps doesn’t support. Apple Maps integration with Apple Watch makes it great if you don’t have CarPlay or for walking directions, but the value of having alerting and near real-time data feeding in from drivers far surpass the data Apple is getting from DOTs.

In addition, I find Apple Maps‘ ”selective” use of traffic colors confusing and inconsistent. As much as I hate to admit it, I prefer the way Google shows traffic lines/colors for all roads where they have data.
 
Right, same in San Francisco. Waze excels at on-the-fly (re)routing. It does that exceedingly well in my experience.

But what good is a pre-planned trip from the night before? QR code, whatever. Might as well be printing out a map from mapquest in 2005.

Maybe I’m missing something?

Edit: the article says you can send “directions” from desktop to mobile; does it mean destinations? Presumably the directions are going to be calculated in real-time by the app running on your phone.

I still don’t see why this is such a big deal as to warrant an article 🤷‍♂️
I think simply for exposure. I can see this benefiting real estate agents for example. Might have a ton of showings lined up. Easier to just put all of that in on desktop and send it to your phone. And yes, the directions are still calculated in realtime, not at the time you plan your trip.
 
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I use Waze on a daily basis. I’ve tried to use Apple Maps but it’s not the same. Having real time reports that a cop is ahead or an accident reported is too important not to have.

Does Apple Maps have live traffic updates?

Apple Maps does have live traffic updates, which are imo just as good as any other (Google, Waze). Apple Maps is missing the speed trap alerts though, which is huge.

However, in my area Apple maps shows whether the intersection ahead is a light or a stop sign. I find that pretty helpful when navigating suburban grids and I wish other apps had that.
 
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I disagree. The crowdsourced alerts (police and accidents) are the most valuable, but those also happen to be the alerts that Apple Maps doesn’t support. Apple Maps integration with Apple Watch makes it great if you don’t have CarPlay or for walking directions, but the value of having alerting and near real-time data feeding in from drivers far surpass the data Apple is getting from DOTs.

In addition, I find Apple Maps‘ ”selective” use of traffic colors confusing and inconsistent. As much as I hate to admit it, I prefer the way Google shows traffic lines/colors for all roads where they have data.


The question I was answering was "does Apple Maps have live traffic updates?"

It does. And considering nearly every iPhone out there transmits the data whether or not someone even has Maps open, I'd say it is really accurate.

Preference regarding showing green, yellow and red lines in Google versus showing "none", yellow and red lines in Apple Maps is nothing more than that...preference.

It varies from city to city/country to country, but there seems to be no discernible difference between what Apple Maps shows from a traffic standpoint to what Google shows other than what I pointed out above regarding "normal" areas where cars stop like at stop signs and traffic lights.

Is Google showing a red line at every single intersection that has a stop sign or traffic light really "traffic?" If you prefer seeing that, than fine. I prefer Apple's method of showing traffic (or better yet, not showing where it isn't).

They both use the same government submitted data as well as movement info from their products (phones, tablets, etc.). Google has an advantage when it comes to crowd sourced data (via Waze for the most part) where they show construction/police speed traps. I'm not sure Apple will ever allow that sort of direct user input.

My own tests of Google Maps features a couple of weeks ago on a 1,500 mile road trip failed. Not one police or construction alert despite seeing many and the traffic updates were out of synch (showing traffic when none was there). It also crashed on me several times on CarPlay...like, just stopped navigating.....I had to switch back to Apple Maps for that reason after a few hundred miles. Maybe the new features aren't widely released yet?? And I would love to try it on an Android device or Android Auto in my car as I hear it is much better on their own platform.
 
I disagree. The crowdsourced alerts (police and accidents) are the most valuable, but those also happen to be the alerts that Apple Maps doesn’t support. Apple Maps integration with Apple Watch makes it great if you don’t have CarPlay or for walking directions, but the value of having alerting and near real-time data feeding in from drivers far surpass the data Apple is getting from DOTs.

In addition, I find Apple Maps‘ ”selective” use of traffic colors confusing and inconsistent. As much as I hate to admit it, I prefer the way Google shows traffic lines/colors for all roads where they have data.


Yep thats why I cant switch from Waze. The crowdsourcing of info is too important to give up. With Apples mass number of phones out there to utilize I don't know why it hasnt been done yet. It's the same premise of the Apple tags that will be released soon.
 
Yep thats why I cant switch from Waze. The crowdsourcing of info is too important to give up. With Apples mass number of phones out there to utilize I don't know why it hasnt been done yet. It's the same premise of the Apple tags that will be released soon.

Apple is very big on not distracting drivers while driving. While one of the largest and most used mapping apps out there, most would consider Waze still an outlier that can get away with letting users take their focus away from the road to input something in the app.

I think Apple will eventually relent (like they did last year with allowing the phone to be separately accessed while also utilizing CarPlay), but it will most likely be voice activated only via the Siri interface (at least initially).

With Google Maps slowly killing Waze with these integrations, it is bound to happen eventually.
 
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