every single day, offering directions and other
location information.
Waze, which was acquired by Google back
in 2013 but has remained a separate entity,
offers a different approach to mainstream
mapping apps like Google Maps and Bing Maps,
describing itself as a community-driven GPS
navigation app. Unlike other mapping apps, it
depends on user-submitted travel times and
data on things such as accidents, speed checks,
hazards, and more to offer information about
a route in real-time. Naturally, the more people
who use it, the more accurate it’ll become. Back
in 2019, it was revealed that more than 130
million Americans use Waze as their default
mapping app, and it has grown in popularity in
recent years thanks to smart car integrations and
a bunch of new features.
Keen to catch up to rivals like Waze, Apple is
planning to introduce some of the app’s most
popular features into its upcoming iOS 14.5
release. Now, when users type in a location into
Apple Maps and set a route, Siri will now allow
users to now report accidents or hazards that
are seen along the way, creating a crowdsourced
mapping experience. When users swipe up on
the Apple Maps interface, they will be able to
press a new Report button to flag an accident,
hazard, or speed check, and tapping the button
will automatically flag a user’s location with
no confirmation window, offering speed and
convenience, though users might be cautious
of using it if they’re worried about privacy. It
will also be possible to flag accidents to Siri
using your voice - just say “Hey Siri, there’s an
accident” and Siri will send in a report to Apple
Maps. The idea is that, if enough users report