Google Maps is amazing. I've been using it for a long time and the peak of the experiences came up when I finally started using it on Android Auto. But Waze is damn amazing too. That's why it doesn't sound weird to me that Google acquired Waze in 2015, mostly to keep it away from the hands of Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft, but also to have the overall control of the "Navigation" solutions out there.
Available for Android Auto since July 2017
Still, with no version available on Apple CarPlay, Waze made its landfall on Android Auto since last July. It is obvious that being under the same umbrella of Google-owned products and so much popularity, Google decided to support it "on the vehicles". In this new "starting" era of tech vehicles, it is crucial for them to consolidate the audience in front of the Apple competitor system.
Basically, all you have to do is have Waze installed on your Android device and toggle the Navigation button placed at the bottom menu. You will be able to toggle between one system and the other one.
Main Differences
You can read a full review at the Mobilesyrup blog, but based on my personal experience:
Google Maps Pros
Way more smooth, better UI and has very good alternate path suggestions. Another thing is that Google Maps works with offline cached Maps. This means that if you download the maps of your entire city, you can just be driving around without using any data and Goole Maps will figure out the paths, without traffic information, of course.
Google Maps Cons
Alternate paths based on traffic suggestions are based only on an algorithm and the speed of movement they detect from other users in real time. Sometimes, because there is a stop in a corner, makes the entire fragment of the road red (high traffic). While you drive around, they do not show you potential points of interest a driver may be interested in, 99% times gas stations. At least for me, this is a secondary data that always comes up handy.
Waze Pros
Waze is amazing on the social side. It is not only the algorithms they use, is the "feedback" that you receive from other users of what is happening on the road. And with feedback, I mean, active feedback like "There is a danger ahead" and you eventually see a broken vehicle with the warning lights on the side of the road. Things like that make driving a way better experience and help you be way more aware of what to expect on the road. With Waze, people report accidents, radars, slowdowns, blocked roads... It also pops up markers with Gas Stations and Interest points that are always good to be aware of.
Waze Cons
The App UI seems like a game for kids at first, but it is intentionally designed that way and eventually, everyone gets used to it. It lacks the "offline maps" features, although when you set up a destination, it downloads the maps all the way to the end, in case you eventually lose the mobile signal. If you are planning to do a long trip, it helps to set up the destination initially on a wifi to save soem data.
