Google Maps and Waze, which are both owned by parent Alphabet, are revamping some of their reporting features to make it easier for drivers to flag safety hazards and security cameras, the companies said Wednesday. Google Maps is also getting a new interface, which should make it easier to access those features while driving.
Google Maps' driving interface will now have a larger report icon located on the bottom-right corner of the screen. Tapping it will open up a menu with larger icons for reporting hazards like a car crash or traffic slowdown, and will also give the option to warn others about traffic cameras. These features are currently available within Google Maps, but the design makeover ideally will make them more obvious without having to spend much time futzing with a screen while driving a car. The new menus will appear on Google Maps on mobile, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and in cars that have Google built in.
The navigation experience will also start highlighting buildings in red, which should help enhance visibility when driving in cities or neighborhoods where multiple buildings on a block might look the same. And to assist with parking, icons showing the nearest places to park will also be highlighted as you pull up to a destination.
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Waze, meanwhile, will support reporting of new camera types that are starting to appear at different intersections, such as cameras that specialize in detecting if drivers are wearing their seatbelt or if they're texting. Like with safety hazards, drivers will be able to self-report these cameras, and alerts will warn other drivers as they approach these locations. Waze says that camera reporting is one of the app's most popular features, and it hopes that allowing reporting encourages drivers to obey those regulations.
Waze will also receive alerts for how events could affect your route -- for instance, if a concert or a parade might bring substantially more traffic than usual. For additional convenience, Waze plans to bring navigation guidance onto a phone's lock screen, allowing for directions and alerts while a device is locked. These lock screen navigation features are set to come to Android next month and onto iOS this fall.
While Google Maps and Waze will remain separate navigation apps, user reports made in one app will increasingly pop into the other, with an additional message noting if a report was originally made in Google Maps or Waze.