10 reasons why you should use Waze navigation and 2 reasons why you shouldn’t

• There are dozens of navigation apps in the Google Play Store.
• Waze is different from most of them, but is it worth using?
• Here are ten reasons to use Waze navigation.

Dozens of navigation apps for pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trucks are available in the Google Play Store. Choosing the best one can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. After all, the label “best navigation” itself can be quite subjective, because every user has different needs and requirements.

Personally, I consider Waze to be the best navigation app. I’ve been driving with it since 2015, when I was alerted to its existence by readers in the comments under the article Traffic information for Android: tudyNE. While before that I switched navigations literally like socks and tried almost all that were available until then, for the last nine years I have been relying exclusively on Waze when driving.

In my opinion, there are a number of reasons and practical arguments why you should use Waze when driving if you don’t already. Let’s take a look at the most fundamental ones that I consider really key.

Why use Waze navigation?

The first and probably the most important reason to use Waze navigation are current documents, which are watched over by a (excellently functioning in the Czech Republic) community of editors. When a new roundabout is added somewhere, a normal street becomes one-way, or a new bypass is opened, just report it to the editors and they will make the appropriate changes in the map documents.

From my own experience, I can confirm that the editors react to reported changes very quickly (usually within a few hours) and the changes are reflected in the map within a maximum of tens of hours. For example, navigation indicated the extended Rudná in Ostrava just a few minutes after its official opening.

Another reason why you should use Waze navigation is that they are up-to-date information about what is happening in front of you. The application alerts you to a railway crossing, a traffic accident, a police patrol, a dangerous pothole or a parked vehicle. A recent update brought speed reduction notices among other things.

By looking at the screen, you can quickly tell that a line is forming in front of you, so you can reduce your speed ahead of time and prepare to stop. According to this navigation, it is also good to drive in the dark – the bends are displayed in it in such a way that you can recognize the ones before which you will have to brake.

The function is also very practical Planned rides. For example, do you have an appointment at the bank for next Thursday? All you have to do is schedule it in the Waze application, which will notify you in advance of the time when, taking into account the current traffic situation, you should set off on your journey to reach your destination on time.

With Waze navigation, you won’t stand in queues

One of the strongest arguments in favor of Waze navigation is its user community. The latter contributes not only with its reports on various dangers on the roads, but also to the collection of information on current traffic conditions and the traffic situation on individual roads.

Thanks to this, the navigation knows exactly where it is currently possible to drive smoothly, and where drivers are stuck in queues. He can because of that continuously plan the route that is most advantageous at the current moment – that is, one on which they should reach their destination as soon as possible and with the highest certainty that they will arrive in the expected time.

I can confirm from my own experience that this is something that really works like a charm. During our vacation in Říčany, we commuted to Prague every morning, and the navigation guided us each time on a different route according to the current traffic situation. In the same way, it happened to us several times during convoys on the highway that she led us to a parallel road of a lower class, through which we went around the convoy.

However, some drivers experienced a situation where the navigation led them to a standing column. Yes, it can happen. Mostly, the reason is the fact that the navigation simply does not know about the column yet. But it can also be the reason that in this way it finds out whether the given road is already passable (it sent the previous driver on a detour route and at the given moment it does not have data on whether the traffic jam continues).

More reasons to use Waze navigation

Waze also enables navigation sharing location and arrival time. For example, if you want to let your home know when you return from work, just use this function. Location sharing is also useful in situations where you’re picking someone up on the way – with continuously updated information about where you are and when you’ll arrive, they’ll be ready at the right time.

We should not leave out either Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. If you own a more modern car, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of the Waze navigation application within its infotainment on a larger screen with a clearer interface.

Waze navigation will also be appreciated by those for whom the price of fuel is important for some reason. Here, too, the community, which continuously updates, works excellently fuel prices at gas stations. When you enter the fuel your car runs on in the settings, you will see their prices after searching for gas stations. You can thus choose the place where you can refuel the cheapest.

Within the Waze app, you can too listen to streaming music and podcasts. A wide range of platforms are supported, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Deezer and many more. The integration works in such a way that the moment the navigation needs to communicate a command, it mutes the playback, speaks its instructions and then resumes the playback.

Waze is one of the few navigation systems in which you can talk custom voice instructions. It’s surprisingly simple, but keep in mind that recording individual commands will take a few minutes. So your girlfriend, wife or lover can command you on the road without having to sit in the car.

When should you not use Waze navigation?

You should definitely not use Waze if you prefer riding along well-established routes. If you are incredibly annoyed that the navigation suggests a different route than the one you are used to, then Waze is definitely not for you. Not to mention that sometimes, due to traffic complications, it can lead you on a completely different route.

You should not use Waze navigation even if you have too little mobile data package, or if you have no internet connection at all. Waze does not support offline maps, which is something that will probably never change, as this would make the application lose one of its most important advantages in the form of continuously updated information.

It is possible to download a route via Wi-Fi, for example, and then let yourself be navigated even without a data connection. However, this deprives the navigation of the ability to react to events that occur during the journey. Then the question is whether it would be better to use some other application for navigation purposes.

Of course, I understand that Waze may not be for everyone. It is definitely necessary to get used to the rather specific interface some time. Anyway, in the nine years I’ve been driving with this navigation, I’ve only regretted it in situations where I disobeyed seemingly illogical commands and then got stuck due to an unexpected queue. Otherwise, I must state that for me this application is the clear number one in its segment.

What are your reasons for (not) using Waze navigation?