Are you curious about whether the Waze app works on Apple Watch or not? If you want to install and use the Waze application on Apple Watch, then you better give up on it. Although you can easily install the Waze application on your iPhone through the App Store, you are going to find it missing on the App Store of your Apple smartwatch.
Does this mean, now you won’t be able to navigate through traffic and unknown places with accuracy and reliability? Certainly not! In this article we are going to discuss, what other Waze alternatives you have for Apple watches. So without any delay, let’s get to it.
Quick Navigation
- Quick Takeaway
- What Is Waze?
- Why Is Waze Not Available On Apple Watch?
- Best Waze Alternatives For Apple Watch
- Waze On Apple Watch? Final Verdict
- FAQs
Quick Takeaway
Waze is currently not available on the App Store of the Apple Watch, so here are the best Waze alternatives available on the Apple Watches: Apple Maps, Google Maps, Yandex Maps, and Maps.Me. Though there used to be many other alternatives available, Apple has removed many of them in the past including Google Maps before restoring it on the App Store again. Therefore, the apps mentioned are subject to updates on the App Store.
What Is Waze?
Waze is a free digital mapping database now owned by Google, which uses the data sourced by its community users in real time to provide accurate and reliable navigation. Waze users can easily share real-time updates like road blockades, checkposts, traffic jams, accidents, police traps, etc. to the Waze app. It then proceeds to update the information on the database for the whole community to access.
Users can also update maps, roads, alleys, and houses making the Waze application more reliable and accurate in real time. Waze also encourages its users to upload real-time accurate information by incentivizing the whole experience. Each time a user shares an update or just uses the app to navigate, they are rewarded with native Waze coins and achievements.
Based on how many coins they accumulate, users are ranked. This reward system in the Waze App increases the engagement ratio of users keeping data updated in real-time.
Waze also offers real-time traffic routing, and turn-by-turn navigation, along with a huge room for customization. You can customize not just your Waze icon or your vehicle’s icon but also the custom voices for Voice navigation.
Waze users can customize the voice navigation by selecting any among the huge options of cool voices, including some celebrities like Kevin Hart and Morgan Freeman. Not just that, users can also record and set their voice or sound of choice as navigation voice.
Why Is Waze Not Available On Apple Watch?
Although there is no official announcement from either Apple or Google regarding Waze on Apple watches, there are some speculations.
Google has their navigation app “Google Maps” which they may want to grow as their main navigation service. Since both Google Maps and Waze are owned by Google and serve the same purpose, offering both these apps may have seemed like a waste of time and money.
Apple on the other hand also has its own web-mapping and navigation service “Apple Maps”. For them to allow both Google Maps and Waze on their device could’ve potentially been bad for their navigation service. Allowing Waze on Apple Watch alongside Google Maps could mean 2x competition for customer retention for their native navigation app “Apple Maps”.
Best Waze Alternatives For Apple Watch
Since you won’t be able to use Waze on your Apple Watch, here are some of the best Waze alternatives for navigation available on Apple Watches.
Apple Maps
Apple also offers its native navigation service for its iOS devices called Apple Maps. It is a mapping and navigation platform similar to Google Maps. Apple Maps also supports Apple’s native AI voice assistant Siri to help in navigation by giving directions and commands.
It offers many useful navigation functions like turn-by-turn navigation, ETA (estimated time for arrival), alerts about heavy traffic or accidents, and much more. Apple Maps can also be used to find nearby businesses and places like coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants, parking, food places, etc.
And if you have a cellular Apple Watch or have a connection to the internet through Wi-Fi, then you can also use the Apple Watch for navigation without needing your iPhone.
Google Maps
It’s a free online mapping and navigation platform by Google. You can use Google Maps on Apple Watch to search, navigate, and discover places, routes, services, and businesses in any area. It also shows you your ETA while navigating in real-time.
Also, you can see the opening and closing hours of businesses and services on the maps, so you can suitably plan your journey. Google Maps also offers many useful features like real-time traffic updates, turn-by-turn navigation, scouting nearby businesses and services, and many more.
It is a great alternative to Waze on Apple Watch. However, to use Google Maps on your Apple Watch, you will need to install it on your iPhone as well.
Yandex Maps
Another free online mapping service, Yandex Maps allows you to search for places and locations nearby in both online and offline conditions. It allows you to view all the necessary navigation data like traffic conditions, and the best route by car, public transport, or by foot.
It also provides you with useful features like turn-by-turn navigation, transport schedules, parking, and weather updates. Furthermore, you can also download maps of specific locations for offline use. All in all, Yandex Maps is a good alternative to Waze on Apple Watch.
Maps.Me
It is a great alternative to Waze on Apple watches. Maps.Me is a free offline Maps and GPS navigation service. It allows you to download maps enabling you to navigate and view them without an internet connection.
Maps.Me even allows you to use the turn-by-turn navigation feature offline. It even shows you, your estimated arrival time to your destination. You can also view nearby hotels, parking, and other businesses along with their ratings on this app. Although this app works offline, you will still need the Maps.Me application installed on your iPhone for it to work on your Apple Watch.
You may also be interested in the following Apple Watch articles:
- How To Fix Screen Burn On Apple Watch?
- What To Do With A Broken Apple Watch?
- How To Make Apple Watch Announce Time
- How To Connect & Sync Noom With Apple Watch
- How To Use YouTube On Apple Watch?
- Can You Overcharge Your Apple Watch?
- Best Weather Apps For Apple Watch
- Best Apple Watch Faces For Nurses
- Is Alexa Available On Apple Watch?
- How To Delete Phone Calls On Apple Watch?
- How To Use Netflix On Apple Watch?
- How To Fix Spotify Not Working On Apple Watch
- Why Is My Apple Watch Not Registering Standing?
- Fix Apple Watch Not Showing Calls Notifications
Waze On Apple Watch? Final Verdict
So these are all the best navigation alternatives for Waze that are currently available on Apple Watch. There used to be many other navigation apps available on Apple Watch like Magic Earth, Map Quest, etc. But currently, they are not available in the App Store of Apple Watches.
In the past, Apple has removed many apps like Google Maps from the App Store of Apple Watches, which it later added again to the App Store. Therefore the four alternative apps that I’ve mentioned above are also subject to availability.
FAQs
Can I Download Waze Maps?
You can download Waze from the Apple App Store on iOS devices, and from the Play Store on Android devices, depending on the device.
Is Waze Better Than Google Maps?
Waze is better at navigation for daily commuters, besides this Google Maps is better at almost everything.
Can You Get Waze On Apple Watch?
No, currently Waze is not available on the App Store of Apple Watches.
