Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
While many people believe it's only a matter of time before Google Maps absorbs Waze, the latest updates proved the search giant has no intention of merging the two apps.
Waze has been updated with several highly requested features, including support for speed bumps and sharp curves warnings. The company is planning more big improvements in the long term, and one idea it has been looking into was support for road ratings.
The idea makes perfect sense and a top feature request posted on the company's UserVoice platform details how road ratings would work.
By allowing users to rate the quality of each road, Waze would provide more information to drivers, including the quality of each route. Users explain that Waze sometimes sent them on roads with no reported hazards but filled with potholes and unpaved patches. Despite this being the shorter route, Waze's suggestion eventually forced drivers to go slower than the limit, so the ETA increased by several minutes.
Allowing users or map editors to rate roads would provide users with more choices and information on which route to choose. Saving a few minutes when driving to a destination by using a poorly rated route might not be worth it if the driver can avoid the struggle with a higher-rated route.
Because road ratings could be subjective, Waze could restrict the feature to map editors, making sure users can take advantage of the feature properly.
The feature was requested approximately four years ago, and Waze, at one point, considered bringing it to the app. The company never said a clear "yes," but it now looks like users shouldn't hold their breath for this feature to land in Waze.
Waze updated the feature request's status to "currently not planned," again suggesting that it considered bringing it to the app but must delay it due to other improvements being prioritized. Waze says that road ratings didn't make the cut for its 2024 roadmap.
The 2024 feature roadmap was already finalized, and Waze says this feature "won't be implemented this year." The company says it hopes to "include it in our plans for later down the line," but there's no guarantee 2025 would bring it to users.
Meanwhile, users keep asking for bigger improvements in Waze, and there's no doubt the company will have much work to do next year. More customization options, including a bigger and movable speedometer, are among the top feature requests, and the company recently pushed back their development for the same reason. These features didn't make the cut for the 2024 roadmap, so keep your fingers crossed to see them added to the app next year. If you want to see them added to the Waze feature arsenal, head over to the UserVoice page and cast your votes.
The idea makes perfect sense and a top feature request posted on the company's UserVoice platform details how road ratings would work.
By allowing users to rate the quality of each road, Waze would provide more information to drivers, including the quality of each route. Users explain that Waze sometimes sent them on roads with no reported hazards but filled with potholes and unpaved patches. Despite this being the shorter route, Waze's suggestion eventually forced drivers to go slower than the limit, so the ETA increased by several minutes.
Allowing users or map editors to rate roads would provide users with more choices and information on which route to choose. Saving a few minutes when driving to a destination by using a poorly rated route might not be worth it if the driver can avoid the struggle with a higher-rated route.
Because road ratings could be subjective, Waze could restrict the feature to map editors, making sure users can take advantage of the feature properly.
The feature was requested approximately four years ago, and Waze, at one point, considered bringing it to the app. The company never said a clear "yes," but it now looks like users shouldn't hold their breath for this feature to land in Waze.
Waze updated the feature request's status to "currently not planned," again suggesting that it considered bringing it to the app but must delay it due to other improvements being prioritized. Waze says that road ratings didn't make the cut for its 2024 roadmap.
The 2024 feature roadmap was already finalized, and Waze says this feature "won't be implemented this year." The company says it hopes to "include it in our plans for later down the line," but there's no guarantee 2025 would bring it to users.
Meanwhile, users keep asking for bigger improvements in Waze, and there's no doubt the company will have much work to do next year. More customization options, including a bigger and movable speedometer, are among the top feature requests, and the company recently pushed back their development for the same reason. These features didn't make the cut for the 2024 roadmap, so keep your fingers crossed to see them added to the app next year. If you want to see them added to the Waze feature arsenal, head over to the UserVoice page and cast your votes.
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