Why Is Google Maps Travel Time Different Than Waze?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Both services can determine traffic conditions from the number of users on the road, but

Waze actually does something about it

. Google Maps will flag traffic or obstacles it knows about on-screen, as does Waze, but the difference is Google will happily send you on the same pre-set route regardless of how things change.

Which is more accurate Waze or Google Maps?


Google Maps

seems to be more reliable, accurate and has better real-time traffic, whereas Waze has a larger army of fans who think the app is amazing who love its voice prompts feature. However, updates caused issues for both apps.

How accurate is Google Maps travel time?

Over the past two months, I have noted the predicted journey time at the start of any car trip and measured this against the actual time. Having completed the analysis, I can confirm that, as expected, the Google Maps journey times are

very accurate

.

Is Waze travel time accurate?

When Wazers keep the app open, they implicitly tell us the current speed on a specific stretch of the road. We take the real-time updates and the historical information and blend them together in a mathematical equation designed to calculate your most likely speed. Then we use that speed to estimate your real-time ETA.

Why does Waze show less than Google Maps?

When you input your destination into Google Maps your original estimate is made based upon posted speed limits, current traffic conditions, and the distance between your starting point and destination.

Waze does not take into account the speed limit and only looks at the speed of traffic

.

What is the difference between Waze and Google Maps?

Despite being from the same company, and doing similar things, Google Maps and Waze look completely different. While

Google Maps has the look of a more traditional app with all the on-screen information that provides, Waze takes a much simpler approach with fewer details and a cartoony design

.

Which is better for Doordash Waze or Google Maps?

Google Maps uses speed data from other drivers who are using the app and road sensors while Waze is more actively maintained by the drivers alone. Waze users are more active in reporting what’s going on out on the road. As a result,

Waze is more community-driven while Google Maps is more data-driven

.

Does Waze adjust for time zones?

Unfortunately,

Waze doesn’t have a way to adjust the time zone

. You are welcome to make a suggestion or upvote existing suggestions for it in the Waze Suggestion Box. Waze staff does monitor the suggestion box and has implemented many ideas in the past.

Which map app is most accurate?

We wanted to see which map would give the fastest route. In addition, we also wanted to see which map would give the most accurate time estimate before we started driving. In the end, we found that

Google Maps

was the most accurate predictor based on our driving, closely followed by Waze. Far behind was Apple Maps.

How does Google Maps determine travel time?

The service estimates travel time

by looking at the distance between your current location and the destination

. Google will then apply speed limits along the route and any traffic details to the calculation. Google Maps looks at speed limits to compute what your average speed will be while driving the route.

Is Waze accurate with cops?

Waze is all user-reported, right?

It’s not a radar detector

. So even if 100% of drivers are Wave users and they report 100% of police waiting at speed traps, there always has to be the first Waze user to encounter that cop without warning from their app.

Can Google Maps show traffic at different times?

Tap on “Directions” after doing so to yield available routes. Afterward, choose the best route a from the selections given. From there, tap on the three-dot menu button on the upper-right and hit “Set depart & arrive time” (Android) or “Set a reminder to leave” (iOS) from the prompt.

Why is Waze inaccurate?

Waze’s ETA was inaccurate

If the ETA for your route is inaccurate, it might be because

there are too few Wazers driving on your route to collect enough speed and traffic data

.

Does Google Maps travel time stop?

Planning several stops on the way? Google Maps can account for the time it’ll tack on. If Google says your trip will take seven hours but it ends up being eight, it may be because you didn’t include your multiple stops along the way.

Google Maps lets you add stops

so you can get a more accurate destination time.

Is Waze more accurate than speedometer?


More often than not, the speed displayed by Google Maps and Waze is different than the one you see on the dashboard

, so in theory, the speed limit warning could be inaccurate as well.

Does Waze always give the fastest route?

If you’ve noticed,

Waze no longer gives you the quickest route to your destination by default

. Instead, it gives you a route that sometimes makes your trip longer.

Does Waze or Google Maps use more battery?

Google Maps and Waze are almost the same when it comes to battery consumption. Provided that all of the abovementioned functions are enabled, these apps will consume most of your battery life. But

Waze definitely consumes more battery than Google Maps

.

What is the difference between Google Maps and Google Maps go?

Google Maps Go is pre-installed on Android Oreo (Go edition) devices. It’s also available on the Play Store.

Google Maps Go is separate from the Google Maps app

. It’s designed to run quickly and smoothly on devices with limited memory.

Which is better Apple Maps or Waze?

Waze only provides routes for cars, motorcycles, and taxis. And like Apple Maps, you can add just one pit stop. However,

Waze is the most comprehensive if you want to get local traffic updates

; live traffic updates include alternate routes, accidents, road work, police, potholes, and speed traps.

Is there an app better than Google Maps?


Waze app

and Google Maps are both free for anyone who wishes to use them. Overall, Waze is a spectacular app that works similarly or way better than Google maps. It provides a complete set of functionalities and features you need in an app. It may not have many features, but it serves you well.

Is Waze faster than Google?

Traffic and Road Hazards

Both show a red or yellow line depending on the level of traffic, and both offer alternative routes if the traffic is heavy (though

Waze will do this much faster than Google

). Both can display the same information, including roadworks, accidents, conditions, and speed cameras.

Do Waze and Google Maps share data?

Waze is crowdsourced and moderated by its volunteer users. It began its life as an independent app and still behaves that way. Google Maps takes data from users of the Google-created Android mobile operating system and is professionally managed by Google. “That’s why

we don’t commingle data with Google

,” says Bardin.

What Maps do DoorDash use?

When you accept an order, you’ll automatically be taken to DoorDash In-App Navigation powered by

Google Maps

.

Does Google maps take into account time zone changes?

Considerations. Google Maps provides directions with the distance and estimated travel time. However, unlike some navigation systems,

Google Maps doesn’t include the arrival time

. Thus, it doesn’t need to update if you cross into a new time zone.

How do I change the time on Waze?
  1. Tap My Waze, then Settings.
  2. Tap Plan a drive .
  3. Under “Notifications”, tap Timing.
  4. Choose your preferred timing (either 10 min, or 10 min & 1 hr 30 min before)

Does Apple Maps include time zone changes?

My destination is in EST. Using both a Windows computer and also and iOS device,

the Maps app estimates the expected time of travel, as well as a notification that specifies that departure and destination are in different time zones

.

David Evans
Author
David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.