Android users have the benefit of getting a phone that likely comes with turn-by-turn navigation right out of the box, usually in the form of Google Maps Navigation. Even though many Android users will never use anything but Google Navigation to get from point a to point b, we found that Waze is also free and a better option.
- Provides voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions, with multiple voice prompts before turns and merges
- Automatically recalculates route when you make wrong turns or change course
- Supports Android's built-in voice search, so you can speak destinations to search them quickly
- Offers live traffic and road condition reports from local traffic services as well as other users
- Crowdsources your commute by allowing other users to report accidents, construction, police activity, or other obstructions
- Alerts you in advance as you approach reported road issues and conditions
- Displays the positions of other Waze members and drivers on the road in real time, allows you to see their direction and speed
- Switches between day and night map view for easy reading
- Offers GPS driving "groups" of other drives that you can connect with
- Makes driving and commuting a social game with points, rewards for new routes, and points for submitting construction areas or road incidents
Like its iOS version, Waze doesn't disappoint, and its price can't be beat. It had an especially high bar to meet on Android because Android devices usually ship with Google Maps Navigation built-in, and while that would seem like a logical choice for the best turn-by-turn GPS app, Waze offers a wealth of features that Google Maps doesn't. First of all, Waze's turn-by-turn directions are solid, and the app always shows your overall drive time, distance, and ETA on-screen while you drive. The app lets you save destinations for quick access when you get in the car and open the app, so you don't have to type the same destinations over and over. If traffic conditions ahead change and the app thinks you'll be delayed, you'll see it right on the map, with a large note that the speed in a given area has reduced to a certain amount, and as you approach, your ETA will change. When you come to a stop at a light, Waze will rotate through traffic alerts and warnings in your area, so you can take a moment to see if any incidents are things you should worry about. The app's settings are rich, and offer a wealth of configuration options, from languages, male/female voice, route learning, and more.
When you start moving again, Waze knows, displays your speed on the map in real-time, and switches back to a vehicle-centered view. This is actually a huge benefit, because you or your passenger can tap areas on the map, explore your route, or look something up, and Waze will always automatically go back to a vehicle-centered view. With Google Navigation, even the slightest drag off of the vehicle-centered view means you're now looking at maps, and you have to tap the Nav icon to go back to the navigation view. Also, if the app crashes, retstarts, or force closes, the next time you open it, Waze auto-recovers your destination and re-plots your course. It's a huge benefit if something happens while you're driving and you have to re-open the app?you don't have to re-type your destination.
Waze's biggest benefits are clearly the real-time traffic and road information that users of the app provide. I live in a major metro area, so the information I encountered was, about eight times out of ten, accurate and up to date. When Waze warned me that I was about to approach visible police activity, sure enough someone was pulled over, or a police car with a speed camera mounted on the hood was ahead. When it warned me there was a stopped car on the side of the road, it really was there. The fact that you can then thank the driver who reported the issue or report the issue resolved if it's not there are also quick ways to get you to start contributing as well.
It's really difficult to understate the benefit of the social components that Waze offers. Like Adam Dachis mentioned when he recommended Waze for the iPhone, I also reviewed Waze a long time ago, when the app was just getting off the ground. At the time, I felt the social component was gimmicky and useless until the app had a community of commuters behind it who were sharing and reporting accidents, road closures, and other issues. It's come a long way since then, and has enough users that those features aren't just useful, they're the star of the show.
Waze isn't perfect however. I found the voice prompts a bit muddy sounding, and not nearly as clear and crisp as Google Nav's built-in voice. I also found Waze has a little trouble staying stable if you switch in or out of the app. For example, when I drive, I often plug my phone into my car stereo and stream Pandora in the background while GPS is in the foreground. Leaving Waze to start Pandora is easy enough, but more than once I returned to the app to find an error on-screen, and the app asked me to submit a bug report. If I left Pandora up, Waze worked properly in the background and stayed in the notifications pane, but switching back to it caused it to freak out a bit. It was annoying, but since Waze automatically re-plots your course and picks up where it left off if the app crashes, restarts, or is closed, it was no bother.
Also, Waze occassionally warned me to "exit left" when the exit was indeed to the right, only to quickly correct itself with the next prompt. The first time it happened, I figured it was a minor error, specific to that location, but when it happened again, I was a little worried. The map is correct, the data on-screen is correct, and both the prior and following voice prompts tell you the correct direction, but I could see that being a serious problem to someone depending on Waze's voice prompts more than the map. Speaking of voice prompts, I also found Waze more than a little chatty, often prompting me three to four times per exit or turn, at the 1-mile, half-mile, quarter-mile, and tenth-of-a-mile that a turn was coming up. You can tweak this though, so it's not a big deal.
FInally, Waze suffers a little bit from the "webapp as Android app" problem, where menus and options aren't native Android screens and menus, and are instead custom versions of the web interface that tie right back to your Waze profile. They're quick and responsive to be sure, they just look and feel a little kludgy at times. Oh - one more thing: a number of people complain about Waze's server stability. I never had those problems during my testing, but it's worth mentioning, since it's the most common complaint by Waze's detractors. Your mileage there may vary.
Google Maps Navigation (Free) is perhaps the most obvious competition here, and without doubt more widely used than Waze. Google Nav ships on most Android phones, offers a traffic layer so you can see where problem spots are on the road, and estimates your travel time based on speed limit and traffic ahead (although Google has had problems with this feature.) Where Waze is US and Canada only, Google Maps is global, and has Google's massive database of highways, side-streets, and surface roads to lean on to help you find the best possible route. Google Navigation has all of the same easy-search features and voice options that Waze does, and also allows you to search for locations along your route so you can make a side trip if necessary. Most Android users already use Google Nav, and while it's a great GPS app and definitely a killer feature of Android, you don't have to settle for it if you're looking for something more, and if Waze's bells and whistles turn you off and you just want driving directions, Google Navigation is always there for you.
Navigon for Android ($30 + $14 in-app purchase for live traffic) Navigon (by Garmin) is another great option, and while it's expensive and the app forces you to download your maps ahead of time (a process we suggest you do over Wi-Fi, as the files are pretty big) you do get the benefit of a "real" GPS app, where all of your maps are stored on your phone and you don't need a constant data connection to help you find your way. If your data connection drops?like mine did yesterday?Navigon keeps going like nothing happened. Plus, the app is snappy, the interface is well designed for in-car use, and the voice prompts are clear and loud. That said, it's really pricey by comparison, and you have to pay again in-app to get live traffic, when other apps offer it for free. Navigon has a long and storied history, and it's a great option if you need offline maps (although Google Nav also allows you to download map areas), but its really hard to get around the price.
Sygic ($26 for North American license, Price varies by location, Free trial available) is another great turn-by-turn navigation option. Sygic leverages TomTom's maps for driving directions, and has its signature big, bright, colorful GPS maps and on-screen UI. The screens are easy to understand, upcoming turns are shown clearly, and the full license comes with real-time traffic. The app allows you to add your own points-of-interest (POI), speaks street names and lane-change warnings, and even integrates Google search so you can search along your route. Sygic is packed with all of the features that make a GPS device useful, which means you don't have to leave the app to search for businesses on the way, find a place to eat, see traffic conditions, and so on. It's a great app, and many of its users are happy with it, but again, it's difficult to recommend paying $26 (19.99 EUR) for the North American maps when the free trial is over when other apps offer the same core features for free, even if many of the premium ones are missing.
Skobbler (Free, $1.99 for Maps) is for the OpenStreetMap fans. It doesn't really offer anything that the other apps don't already provide, including Google Navigation, but if you prefer your mapping platform open-source and not in the hands of a specific company or mapping service, Skobbler is the tool for you. You have to pay once for your "Forever Maps," but once you do, the app gives you access to OSM, which are as up to date as the community keeps them.
MapQuest Mobile (Free) really wants to be a bigger player in this space, but the app needs work. MapQuest itself has come a long way since the days when it was overshadowed by Google and Microsoft, and the mobile app shows a lot of the polish the web site has tried to introduce. The trouble is that it's turn-by-turn directions just aren't that great. I often found MapQuest trying to route me through communities and cul-de-sacs when I knew there was a faster route on a larger street just up ahead, and toggling to OSM (a nice feature), didn't seem to help. It did re-route me if I missed a turn, and it does offer some traffic conditions, updated every five minutes from public sources, but unless you're looking for some of the sponsored hotels and restaurants that pop up in the app's search results, finding locations can be tricky and you may have to leave the app first. Still, MapQuest Mobile for Android is new, and technically still in beta. With more work and more features, it could be a real contender?assuming MapQuest's map database is up to snuff, and while it's improved a lot, I'm not sure it's there yet.
Note: Despite our best efforts to get review copies, we were unable to test CoPilot Live USA. It should be noted that these apps were not considered in our evaluation because we couldn't test them.
Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
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