Waze now available on CarPlay

[bobpenn]

Google just released an update to Waze this morning which now supports CarPlay for Apple iPhones. Now we have the best nav. app. available for the infotainment console!

 

[iwatson]

Google just released an update to Waze this morning which now supports CarPlay for Apple iPhones. Now we have the best nav. app. available for the infotainment console!

I read it was available last night, and downloaded it to my phone. Then tried it on my way home last night. I've heard others RAVE about WAZE before but had never used it. Why do you feel it's the best navigation app? What great features over other Nav apps?

When I tried it at 11:30 last night it displayed a bright white screen rather than a nightime black screen like apple maps or Google maps. So my first impression was that it's no good for night driving.

 

[cranial1963]

Google just released an update to Waze this morning which now supports CarPlay for Apple iPhones. Now we have the best nav. app. available for the infotainment console!

I read it was available last night, and downloaded it to my phone. Then tried it on my way home last night. I've heard others RAVE about WAZE before but had never used it. Why do you feel it's the best navigation app? What great features over other Nav apps?

When I tried it at 11:30 last night it displayed a bright white screen rather than a nightime black screen like apple maps or Google maps. So my first impression was that it's no good for night driving.

Go to Settings -> Display and map and change Mode to "Auto" - that will enable Waze to toggle between Day and Night mode based
on the color of the air...

The feature Waze has that no other has? User input to current traffic conditions. I have heard Waze called "the modern day CB radio".
Traffic, hazards, accidents, police presence, anything and everything can be communicated to other Waze users in real-time
in the app, on the map. Wazw also does a great job in routing around traffic issues.

 

[iwatson]

Go to Settings -> Display and map and change Mode to "Auto" - that will enable Waze to toggle between Day and Night mode based
on the color of the air...

That's a great tip and I really appreciate it, but it was already set to "Auto" ?????

 

[cranial1963]

Go to Settings -> Display and map and change Mode to "Auto" - that will enable Waze to toggle between Day and Night mode based
on the color of the air...

That's a great tip and I really appreciate it, but it was already set to "Auto" ?????

Actually...after looking around a bit, I think I am wrong, it appears Waze may use time and location
to determine whether it is Day or Night, not the phone's light sensor.
I could not find much help searching the web.
Mine has always been pretty accurate about swtiching between light and dark with the time of day.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Color me underwhelmed with Waze. Maybe it's better in bigger cities, but I am not yet seeing any benefit to having yet a third navigation app on CarPlay. I'll try it again when I visit other locations but in my experience Google Maps provides everything I want in a navigation system.

 

[bobpenn]

My experience driving around Los Angeles is that Waze was the best at determining where both freeway and street traffic will affect your commute. I have had too many experiences with Apple and Google maps routing me right into a traffic jam. Waze seems to be the most aware of real world road conditions, and has taken me on some "creative" but ultimately time saving routes. If I really have to arrive at a certain time, I always use Waze, as it's the only one I really trust to be accurate.

 

[SeanNelson]

...after looking around a bit, I think I am wrong, it appears Waze may use time and location to determine whether it is Day or Night, not the phone's light sensor.

That doesn't seem right to me. It would mean that it wouldn't auto-switch under circumstances like going through tunnels or in dark stormy weather (or during a solar eclipse!). Google Maps on my Samsung Galaxy S7 switches modes when I pull into or out of my garage, so it's pretty clear to me that the car provides the connected device with the information about "night" vs. "day" mode - it would be pretty stupid for Waze not to use it.

 

[cranial1963]

...after looking around a bit, I think I am wrong, it appears Waze may use time and location to determine whether it is Day or Night, not the phone's light sensor.

That doesn't seem right to me. It would mean that it wouldn't auto-switch under circumstances like going through tunnels or in dark stormy weather (or during a solar eclipse!). Google Maps on my Samsung Galaxy S7 switches modes when I pull into or out of my garage, so it's pretty clear to me that the car provides the connected device with the information about "night" vs. "day" mode - it would be pretty stupid for Waze not to use it.

I am not saying it is right or not, just sharing what I have discovered via web search and via actual usage to remove speculation.

Since you mentioned it, I searched for how Google maps toggles between day and night mode,
It appears Google Maps (like Waze) also uses the smartphone's clock to switch between modes.
Maybe it's an iOS vs. an Android difference.

I just ran a test with both Waze and Google Maps on my iPhone: I opened the app with mode set to automatic and walked into
a dark closet for 5+ minutes. Neither app went dark.

BTW - my testing/usage does not involve Car Play or Android Auto...

 

[iwatson]

When I tried it at 11:30 last night it displayed a bright white screen rather than a nightime black screen like apple maps or Google maps. So my first impression was that it's no good for night driving.

Tried it again last night and the bright white background had changed to a grayish/white screen, so I guess that's ok. At least it's better. As for features I like it's ability to report hazards or Police activity. That's really nice. Also on the way to run errands this morning it showed where traffic congestion was occurring and seemed to route me around the worst of it. It also alerted me when I was approaching a red light camera intersection. All in all I'm really starting to warm up to it. I thought I had seen a video where it could search out charging stations, but when I tried it located one in Prague, Czech Republic which is not close to my home in TENNESSEE! It would be great if you could report charging stations like you can hazards. Or if a Nav app would use the plugshare locations.

Someone please tell me though, What is the deal with the candy bars that you pick up as you drive? It reminds me of playing Pac-man and gobbling up cherries or watermelons

 

[SeanNelson]

Since you mentioned it, I searched for how Google maps toggles between day and night mode, It appears Google Maps (like Waze) also uses the smartphone's clock to switch between modes. Maybe it's an iOS vs. an Android difference.
...
BTW - my testing/usage does not involve Car Play or Android Auto...

Huh? Wasn't iwatson having his issues with his phone connected to the car? That was my assumption.

With the phone connected to the car running Android Auto, Google Maps switches from day mode into night mode when I pull into a parking garage, even in the middle of the day. So it's obviously not based on the clock.

 

[iwatson]

Huh? Wasn't iwatson having his issues with his phone connected to the car? That was my assumption.

Your assumption is correct, However this only occurred the first night I tried it. Since then it shows a grayish color at night which is easier on the eyes.

I can only quess that the issue is related to the Bolt's quirky infotainment system which does lots of weird stuff on a regular but intermittent schedule.

 

[ItsGeorge]

I think the screen on Waze lightens and darkens based on local sunrise/sunset time.