Fans and users of the popular Waze GPS app will be happy to hear that the mapping client received a significant update today. The release brings about several changes, including various redesigned UI elements and a handful of useful new features.
The new UI covers the ETA screen, which now lets users easily share their drive with friends and family, and also adds a new icon in the ETA tab that shows the number of users tracking your trip. We have a full breakdown of the new features below…
Here’s your full change log:
What’s New in Version 3.8.0
Keeping up with friends and family is easier than ever before! With new & improved features, put an end to those pesky texts and phone calls – “I’m leaving now,” “I’m stuck in traffic,” “Almost there!” – and let Waze do the work for you.
– Find more friends on Waze by adding Contacts
– Send & receive friend requests and manage your friends list
– Get in touch with friends directly from their profiles: Share a drive, call, message or beep beep to say – hello!
– Locations sent between friends are saved on user profiles for future navigation
– New easy-to-use design for sending locations
– Share your drive to let friends & family know you’re on the way
– Redesigned ETA screen includes friends display to easily share your drive
– New icon on ETA tab shows the number of people viewing your shared drive, and expands for overview of activity
– Main menu redesigned to include new Send Location button and Share Drive button in Nav modeBug fixes:
– Waze freezing when performing a search
– General stability improvements
For those unfamiliar with Waze, it’s essentially a maps application with a heavy social layer. It includes all of the standard GPS features, like voice turn-by-turn directions, but it adds traffic/route data, crowd-sourced from an active community of users.
Google acquired Waze last summer for a reported $1.3 billion, and has integrated some of its route data into Google Maps. But other than that, the app has been untouched, so it’s still worth checking out. You can find Waze in the App Store for free.