- Waze is reportedly testing traffic light support
- Popular feature from Google Maps may soon go live
- The feature is currently only being tested in Israel
Waze is reportedly introducing a feature that many users have been asking for — and one that Google Maps has offered since 2022.
For more than three years, support for traffic lights and stop signs has helped Google Maps users anticipate upcoming turns and better understand the correct lane, but it looks like Waze is finally playing catch-up,
According to Android Authority, which itself received a tip from GeekTime, Waze is testing traffic lights on its maps in Israel, where the app was originally founded and where many of its developers still live and work, despite the company’s acquisition by Google in 2013.
The report suggests that the feature is still in its very early stages and that the number of traffic lights displayed at any given time is currently limited to avoid cluttering the map to the point of distraction.
Android Authority claims that when actively navigating, the map shows a maximum of three traffic lights at a time. Although this changes when users aren’t navigating, with all nearby traffic lights shown to those just browsing the map or driving without navigation.
Waze confirmed back in May that traffic light data, stop signs and other important road signs would be introduced to its map services after asking users to vote for the new features.
Google leads the way
As mentioned earlier, Google Maps added traffic lights, stop signs and other road furniture to its maps years ago, as these are some of the most important points of reference when arriving at an intersection or other complex traffic system.
They allow drivers to more efficiently plan to be in the right lane for an upcoming turn, something close rival Apple Maps has also offered for some time now.
Since Waze is now owned by Google, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that the former could use traffic light data that already exists to roll out the feature beyond Israel in the very near future.
In fact, the two services are becoming more similar as time goes on, as the tech giant effectively “borrowed” most of the features that made Waze so popular in the first place.
But Google arguably now has the upper hand as it also integrates its Google Places data, as well as information on live fuel prices and EV charger availability.
Combine this with the rollout of Google Gemini for vehicles, and it’s quickly becoming one of the most effective ways to safely interact with navigation on the go, with the ability to ask complex questions about a destination, book a table at a restaurant, and receive recommendations from a large community of users.
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