Waze vs. Google Maps: Which app is best for older drivers?

Google Maps and Waze are two of the most popular navigation apps available on Android and iPhone, and although Google owns them both, the apps offer very different experiences. Google Maps is the more comprehensive navigation app of the two, with a richer design that offers more detail on geography and road layout than Waze. Google Maps also includes more discovery tools that make it easy for users to find places of interest and key information about them while supporting public transportation and walking directions. Finally, Google Maps includes user-generated content, such as reviews and photos, and supports natural language voice chats with Gemini AI during navigation. Waze, on the other hand, is a navigation app that focuses on a specific goal: quickly navigating from point A to point B. The app uses a large community to provide users with real-time route information, including reports of incidents that may slow down traffic. Waze can quickly recalculate the route to avoid traffic. With all of this in mind, older drivers may be better served by Google Maps’ predictable, familiar interface and reliable routing on major roads than Waze.

Most people shouldn’t have to choose between one app or the other. You should install Google Maps and Waze on your smartphone and use the app that suits you best. You may want to switch to Waze only for car trips where you want to avoid getting stuck in traffic for too long, while Google Maps can work for everything else, including exploring the city to new destinations and moving to a new area with various transportation options.

Although Google Maps is easier to recommend to older users, there is one exception. If an older person has been using smartphones for the better part of the last two decades, they are more tech-savvy than users who started using phones more recently. A driver this old may already be familiar with several navigation apps, including Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, and other options.

This type of older user will know how to use various navigation apps and understand the UI differences between them, allowing them to seamlessly switch between Google Maps and Waze. In this case, an older driver who is still active in the workforce may want to use Waze to travel the same route each day, between work and home.

Google Maps has supported incident reporting since 2019, but the Waze experience may be even better. An older user who already knows how to interpret the various incident reports that appear on the map, and even write reports themselves, could rely on Waze and use the app to reach their destination more quickly. However, Waze would not meet other needs, such as public transportation or walking and cycling directions, available in Google Maps.

Older users who aren’t as experienced with smartphones and apps may want to stick with Google Maps for all their navigation needs, whether they’re driving or using public transportation to travel. Google Maps offers a less cluttered navigation experience than Waze, where incident reports can appear on screen at an unpredictable pace.

Age can be a risk factor for driving because it impacts vision, hearing and cognition. Even though the vehicle has a larger infotainment system that can support CarPlay and Android Auto, thus displaying navigation on a larger screen, older drivers may still be confused with a navigation app like Waze.

For example, Waze will notify users of accidents, road construction, police, and other incidents that could slow down traffic. An older driver may find these warnings confusing, annoying, or generally overwhelming and distracting. Instead of focusing on traffic, older users may divert their attention to understanding the complexity of Waze. While Waze can redirect a driver to a faster route, being directed to another route can make an aging motorist anxious about getting lost.

Advanced Gemini-based voice interactions in Google Maps could also benefit older drivers, who could use natural language to control navigation by voice rather than typing destinations on a screen. Gemini also allows users to change their route and find places of interest by voice, making it simple to add more stops.