Google Maps and Waze: Two Navigation Apps That Refuse to Merge

When Google acquired Waze in 2013, many assumed the two navigation apps would eventually become one. Over a decade later, they remain separate, despite becoming increasingly similar.

Google Maps has adopted several features that made Waze popular, while Waze has borrowed ideas from Google's mapping expertise and broader ecosystem.

The result is two apps that overlap more than ever before. Both can navigate you around traffic, suggest alternate routes, warn you about road hazards, and estimate arrival times with impressive accuracy.