Back in 2019, I compared Maps vs Waze, asking which one was better.
Up until recently I had not used Google Maps or Google Waze for a few years. But before I took my time off from these traffic apps, my use of these apps depended on a few things:
-Maps always calculated transit time via known speed limits.
-Maps always gave you its best calculated route, via a variety of impersonal parameters collected from its user base.
-Waze would calculate your transit distance via crowd sourced speeds from its user base. It was a more realistic time estimate.
-Waze tracked your preferred routes so when you set your destination, it included your favored routes as part of its directions.
But starting a month or so ago, I've noticed a few glaring changes that have taken place between the two apps.
When I head to work, I ALWAYS turn left at the T-intersection at the end of my street.
When I start Waze, despite my preferred route, it ALWAYS tries to get me to turn right. When I make my left, it spends the next half-mile, trying to convince me to make a u-turn until it gives up on that.
But then as I transit along my preferred route, Waze continues to try to route me along its idea of a preferred route.
I haven't even tested the estimated time mode, but it seems to be on par since I only have a 50-minute commute most days.
On the other hand:
Google Maps seems to have swapped out some of its programming guts with the better parts of what was Waze.
Now, when I start Maps, it points me down my preferred route, and keeps me on my preferred route rather than trying to convince me to take another route.
I completely appreciate that after tracking my every movement, Maps shows me my preferred routes rather than it totally ignoring my apparent preferences.
I'm guessing that since Google acquired Waze, they've started butchering out the better parts for itself.
So for now, it seems that in my situation, my go-to traffic app is Google Maps.
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