Google Maps just got Waze's best feature

Key Takeaways

Waze incident reports have begun to appear on Google Maps.
Google announced the feature back in July, but widespread availability is currently unclear.
Google recently updated Google Maps to make incident reporting easier for drivers.

Google Maps is one of the most popular navigation apps, and now it’s about to become even better, thanks to a little help from Waze.

In July, Google announced it would make several changes to Google Maps, the standout of which was improved incident reporting. Google added a dedicated incident reporting button to the app’s main interface on CarPlay and Android Auto, making it easier to report incidents while driving.

Google also said, “These reports come from the Maps and Waze communities, and you can even see which app a report came from,” in its press release Now, Waze’s incident reporting is finally starting to appear on Google Maps. Reddit user. Truckin_18 recently spotted it and posted an image that shows a police incident report followed by an indication that it’s “From Waze drivers.”

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The feature isn’t out widely yet

While this feature is convenient, its widespread availability remains to be seen. I have never seen a Waze incident report on Google Maps, and I use the navigation app daily. One user on Reddit reported seeing the feature since the summer, while others have reported seeing it only recently.

The feature could be limited to certain regions/countries, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Whatever the case, here’s hoping the feature has a wider release before the busy December holiday travel season kicks into full gear.

Google acquired Waze in 2013, and as of 2024, it has on average about
140
million average monthly users.

Incident reports on Google Maps have saved me countless times, whether it’s alerting me of traffic jams or police road closures, so additional incident reports from Waze are a welcome addition in my eyes. However, some Reddit users report that the growing number of incident pop-ups is annoying.

Google acquired Waze in 2013, and as of 2024, it has about 140 million average monthly users. Google Maps, on the other hand, has over a billion active users each month. With that many people using both apps, it’s nice to see greater cooperation between them. Google also recently added Gemini AI features to Google Maps and enhanced navigation features, making identifying road lanes, crosswalks, and road signs easier.