There was a time when large folded paper maps were connected to road trips. But that has changed with the advent of smartphones with touch screens and mapping software. Without the worry of getting lost, you can now boldly venture into uncharted territory. All due to the widespread accessibility of navigational apps like Waze.
Waze stands out from other popular mapping services because it applies the crowdsourcing model. Users’ data, including information about gas stations, traffic congestion, and the map itself, is collected to create accurate traffic data. Waze grows more dependable as more people use it. Waze is much better now than it was in the beginning, but not all Wazers make the most of it. Here are some adjustments, advice, and techniques to improve Waze as a travelling companion.
The Basic Tweaks
I think Waze’s user interface is not very clear, and the display can occasionally be too busy. Not having any on-screen instructions is also problematic. Veteran Waze users might not experience any issues, but new users may find it a little confusing. I have to quickly search the internet when I first use Waze to find out what those colours and icons mean.
Let’s start at the beginning, beginners.
1. Finding Places and Gas Stations
You must decide where you are going before starting a journey. You can accomplish this with Waze by looking up a location. Tap the Search Box after tapping the Waze icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.
On the following screen, the keyboard will appear, allowing you to begin typing your destination. Alternatively, you can use the Gas Stations & Prices tab to locate one nearby.
I don’t understand why Waze included this option to locate gas stations. Finding the lowest gas price is a worthless tool for me because the government controls the price of gas in my nation.
Enter the location’s name in the search box, then select the appropriate entry from the list. You will learn the location’s fundamentals. When you’re ready, type Go.
2. Routes: Distance versus Time
Waze automatically displays the quickest route. However, it will also present you with more potential detours. To view them and choose one, tap the Routes symbol. Based on the reported current traffic, the distance and expected travel time are shown on the route list.
Go to Settings Navigation Routing Styles to alter this default configuration.
The default options betweenFastestandShortest are then available for your selection.
You can even choose some dirt roads on your routes if you’re feeling adventurous.
3. Get Alerts on Calendar Events
You can configure Waze to send you a departure notice depending on calendar events. To accomplish this, be sure to add an event to yourCalendar with a legitimate location. Additionally, you need to enable Calendar Reminders and Sync Calendar in Waze’s Settings for Calendar Events.
You must confirm the location using the calendar events if Waze isn’t aware of it.
4. Add Favorite Places
You can add frequent destinations to your Favorites list for speedy navigation there and back. The left sidebar is where you’ll find it. Find the location, then touch OK to add it.
Slide right and hit the trash to delete a location from your favourites.
5. Get Less Cluttered Display
Waze displays, particularly in areas with heavy traffic, can become overcrowded with several small icons, including wazers, traffic jams, police, speed cameras, petrol stations, etc., not to mention all of the streets with various colour codes. Go to Settings Display Settings Show on Map for clearer displays.
Going Social
Waze is just as social as any other app that uses crowdsourcing. It implies that things improve as communities become larger and community members engage more.
Go social now.
6. Grow Your Community
Building your community on Waze by including your loved ones would be the first step. To access your contact list, tap thePersonicon at the bottom right corner of the screen. The Plusbutton to add new contacts is located at the top of the Contacts sidebar.
7. Share Locations and ETA to Friends
You can share the destinations using Waze rather than giving instructions if you frequently receive inquiries from friends from other towns about where to go in your hometown and how to get there.
You can choose one of the most recent locations in your right sidebar and then share it by hitting the share button there. The location can also be found by searching, then selecting the Send option.
You can also email your estimated time of arrival (ETA) to pals when you make plans to meet them anywhere.
Due to privacy concerns, Waze makes it hard to know your friend’s whereabouts. Only buddies who are travelling together to a common location can be seen.
8. Update Traffic Informations
By providing traffic data, you may support a larger Waze community. Tap the orange circle that is located close to the bottom right of the screen if you are in congested traffic. Next, tap the Traffic icon to file a report. You can also report items like police activity, accidents, hazards, gas prices, etc.
9. Edit Waze Maps
You can start contributing by editing the Waze map once you’ve attained a particular level of Waze usage. However, Waze limits how far a user can change the map based on his or her Level in order to prevent tragedy. The more you can alter, the higher your level. I’ve never used this feature, however according to one user, despite making nearly 2000 map adjustments, he’s still at level 1.
Having Fun
Waze uses gamification to encourage user activity. Every user earns points and moves through the ranks for the things they perform. Please refer to this Waze wiki page on how to compute ranks and points if you want to learn more. Waze also employs additional strategies to maintain an enjoyable user experience.
10. Change Your Car to a Ferrari
On the Waze map, you are by default shown as a triangle.
11. Mood, Scoreboard, and Team Badge
However, you have a lot of other options, including Ferrari, Fiat, Porsche, race vehicles, and more. Go to Settings Display Settings My Car to accomplish that.
By selecting Your Name My Waze Mood from the left column, you may make your journey more enjoyable. For Waze beginners with short drives, this feature is not available. The number of additional kilometres you must go to use this feature is displayed by Waze.
The Good, the Bad, and the Privacy
Other entertaining options found under My Waze include Scoreboard to view your standing and accomplishments and Teams to support available teams.
Waze may be the most up-to-date road atlas thanks to its enormous user base. One, and this is a huge but, it must send reports regularly to stay current. Users may have concerns about this constant flow of data.
The consumption of battery and processing power is the main cause for concern. Due to Waze’s constant usage of GPS, information updates, and the display of real-time traffic, your mobile battery is quickly depleted, and your phone becomes heated. To preserve your battery throughout the journey, pack a power bank or a car charger.
Waze uses the phrase “always on literary” as well. Users are not given the option to stop its background operations. Waze’s location access settings only offer the options of Always or Never. When Always is selected, Waze continues to use the location service even after the app has been entirely closed. You need to deactivate its location access or entirely delete it to stop it. Going back and forth to Settings to toggle the access on and off is a laborious task not worth doing for people who are concerned about their privacy or battery life.
The location access can even be configured to While Using in Google Maps.
The issue of public disturbances is another one. Waze is renowned for offering people detours away from congested areas. However, it also means that other, less used highways must bear the burden of the traffic. There are already a lot of complaints from residents of the formerly peaceful neighbourhood where their kids could play outside without danger.
To prevent Waze from rerouting traffic through particular regions, they even went so far as to report fictitious traffic jams. These efforts are fruitless since actual Wazers who use the routes will immediately invalidate their reports.
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