Man comparing Waze vs. Google Maps reveals which app has better incident reporting
Published on Mar 09, 2026 at 8:07 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 05, 2026 at 8:42 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The debate of Waze vs. Google Maps continues to rumble on, with various comparisons between the two apps being made, and one man from Tom’s Guide has taken a closer look at their incident reporting.
Modern navigation apps allow road users to report incidents or problems they see out on the road, with Waze actually being the app that saw that feature gain traction.
It helps drivers figure out if there will be any delays in their journey.
With Google Maps also offering the same service, the big debate is which one reports incidents better?
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How incident reports on Waze vs. Google Maps can differ
Opening up the two apps shows the different ways in which you can report incidents.
On Waze, the report button is front and center on the screen.
With Maps, though, it’s hidden until you start your navigation.
Waze also makes reporting anything spotted easier than the Google app.
There is even a ‘Talk to Report’ button, meaning you don’t have to press multiple buttons to report an accident or incident.
Google Maps doesn’t offer this, and Gemini didn’t prove to be much help either, according to Tom’s Guide.
And because it’s available all the time, the Waze function also means pedestrians can report incidents and accidents.
Compared to its rival, Wave also offers extra detail for incidents, such as heavy traffic or a standstill.
This is why Google isn’t having everything its own way
On the move, incident reporting was found to be similar between the two.
Gemini and Assistant allowed both apps to report incidents via voice commands.
One other area in which Google isn’t having it all its own way, however, was via the report button.
Tapping it with Waze will open up the automatic listening.
So you can just tell the car that something has happened.
In all areas, the apps worked better on Android phones than on iPhones.
In fact, using the voice commands made Siri try to default to Apple Maps instead.
The conclusion drawn was that while both were similar, Waze offered a bit more nuance over its rival app.
Even on an iPhone, Waze was that little bit more consistent with incident reporting.
It’s fascinating to see how two very similar apps can differ in even the smallest details.
Waze vs. Google Maps history
Google Maps
February 2005: Officially launched as a desktop web service, revolutionizing digital mapping with draggable maps and satellite imagery.
May 2007: Introduced Street View, a groundbreaking feature providing 360-degree panoramic views of streets worldwide.
October 2009: Released free turn-by-turn voice navigation for mobile, effectively disrupting the paid standalone GPS hardware market.
February 2023: Rolled out ‘Immersive View’, which uses AI to fuse billions of Street View and aerial images into 3D representations of routes and landmarks.
Waze
2006-2009: Began as ‘FreeMap Israel’, an open-source community project, before rebranding to Waze and launching globally on mobile in 2009.
June 2013: Acquired by Google for approximately $1.1 billion to integrate its unique real-time, crowd-sourced traffic data into Google Maps.
2016: Launched Carpool to connect drivers with riders for commuting – a distinct service from Uber/Lyft – though the service was eventually shuttered in 2022.
December 2022: The Waze team was formally merged into the ‘Google Geo’ division, alongside Google Maps teams, to streamline development, though the app remains standalone.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
