New features announced by Waze in 2024 are rolling out now
Are you looking forward to the new Waze features?
When Waze first announced these features nearly two years ago, it said that they would be disseminated "this month." Obviously, that never happened. The new features might be arriving late, but at least they are finally expected to show up now. They are undeniably useful for Waze users and according to Google, "they will enhance your driving experience and provide more information about the road ahead." Google adds that they will lead to safer and smoother driving experiences.
The new Waze features include:
- Warnings about sharp curves, toll booths, and speed bumps. It's good to know when you are driving toward one of these things so that you can take the appropriate advance action.
- In a similar vein, you will now know when an emergency vehicle has stopped along your route. Having this information gives you time to slow down preventing an accident from occurring while protecting first responders. This is available now to Waze users in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and France. It will soon be offered in more countries.
- To prevent them from having to jam on their brakes just to drop down to a suddenly reduced maximum speed, Waze users will now receive alerts warning them of a sudden decline in the speed limit. This could save them from rear-ending the car right in front of their own.
- To make things easier when you're driving on a route that you take often, Waze will highlight that route and other favorites to make it faster to obtain directions to the places you go often.
- Whenever you approach a traffic circle, also known as a roundabout, Waze will tell you the lane you should be in and where to exit. You might see these features in Waze right now.
Google has 75% of the market share in the U.S. for mapping and navigation apps
Between Google Maps (67%) and Waze (8%), Google has 75% of the market share in the U.S. for mapping and navigation apps compared to 8% for Apple Maps.