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Waze Wants to Live in Your Car

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Waze Navigation AppWhether you are a professional driver or an occasional road tripper, Waze is a great tool to have on your phone. The app allows you to see what is on the road ahead and find amenities, from the cheapest gas to the best place to eat. From bad weather, to backups due to accidents, to cops lying in wait ahead, Waze works hard to make sure drivers get where they need to go as easily as possible while being directed by celebrity voices. The company is no longer content with just being installed on smartphones, however, and it is looking to make a move to a car’s infotainment system.

The Waze app is currently owned by Google, so smartphone users driving cars equipped with Android Auto can already use it. However, Apple CarPlay blocks all navigation apps that are not Apple Maps (which is notoriously terrible). Wired is reporting that Waze has partnered with SmartDeviceLink Consortium and has been reaching out to individual automakers to make the move to native navigation provider.

One thing that might give drivers pause about Waze being included in their cars is the massive amount of information that Waze receives from users. The reason the app is so successful is that it collects traffic information from users from their input, but also from paying attention to things like vehicle speed. While it’s great that users can report an accident on a roadway with Waze, the app already knows to alert drivers to a traffic slowdown because of how it tracks the cars. Other map tools do the same thing, but if the app is imbedded in a car, it could be possible that drivers are passing on more data than they realize or are comfortable with.

Of course, this project is in its early works, so we probably have a while to wait to see if Waze will earn vehicle integration (and with which carmakers). As we know more, we will let you know.

News Source: Wired