Waze is considered superior to Google maps at navigating by car in many parts of the world, yet it looks like Google is neglecting it. Why do you think they do so?
Clickbait. Downsizing a product team does not mean killing the offering, only that there are fewer hands required to maintain its ongoing operations while adding new features as the market dictates.
Big companies are like the Star Trek Borg they acquire companies to meld whatever tech they can use. I also suspect that getting rid of a competitor and acquiring its user base is always a plus for the acquirer.
Generally speaking, that's how they work so the demise of Waze is not a surprise. Google Maps will always be their primary product.
>I also suspect that getting rid of a competitor and acquiring its user base is always a plus for the acquirer.
That's surely their thinking, but I believe that thinking is flawed: doing this brings a big risk of losing that userbase to a different competitor if the acquisition isn't handled to the userbase's liking.
In this case, how many users are they losing to Apple Maps, for instance?
>In this case, how many users are they losing to Apple Maps, for instance?
If they're integrating Waze's data into GMaps, then that number might be far lower than you think. Waze covers more countries than Apple Maps does, and they do so with more accuracy than GMaps.
For example, I went on vacation to Belize some time ago. Apple Maps simply didn't offer the option for directions. Google Maps didn't understand that driving in the wrong direction is something you're not supposed to do. Meanwhile, Waze effortlessly led me to my destination.
Apple Maps is high-quality, but that means nothing if it isn't offered where you live.
This doesn't address the comment at all. My comment was in response to a comment saying that the previous product (Waze in this case) is being completely retired.
I have used Waze for a very long time and would be said to see it go. I took a break from it when it didn’t support CarPlay for a long time and used Apple Maps for awhile which was fine except it lacked being able to submit traffic data. Does Apple or Google allow that now? Can you still report cops on the road?
It have supported CarPlay and Android Auto for years ( i have used it in both since 2018 ).
And you can still report cops on the road IF the country allows it.
Google can’t kill waze, its where a large part of their traffic congestion data comes from. This data is used on google maps to calculate best routes, but is collected from waze users. No waze users, no data.
Waze is a competitor to the monetized product - Google Maps. I think the better question is why haven't they completely killed off Waze yet?
I have no idea, but I would guess it would be bad optics given the political climate that is able and willing to look into their monopolistic power and practices.
Huh I was about to reply that Waze is monetized too but it seems like they stopped temporarily:
>As of September 1, 2023, Waze is no longer selling Ads.
We have turned down the current Waze Ads product. Advertisers can no longer purchase new ads.
We are already working to transition Waze Ads to Google Ads technology and look forward to helping advance your business objectives through our new Waze Ads product soon.
