Waze is a great, very famous app that works as a free GPS navigator for iPhone, Windows and Andoid smartphones providing information on any accident, impediment or slowdown that comes directly from the people who use it. The social character of Waze and the genius behind it led Google to take possession of it in 2013, to integrate some of its functions in Google Maps.
Despite this absorption, the Waze app (available for Android, Windows Phone and iOS) has not been scaled down by Google at all and still remains a perfect app to keep ready in every Android, Samsung or iPhone smartphone every time it moves in the car, especially in cities with a lot of traffic such as Rome, Milan, Naples or Turin, with a lot of traffic.
Waze lets you know when to leave by car if you have to arrive on time in a certain place within a set time .
In other words, if you have an appointment, Waze can tell us what time to start moving to not arrive late or even arrive too early.
While Google Maps is a super complete app that now works as a TomTom GPS navigator (especially with the recent update to use the Google Maps navigator even offline) and that provides directions even if you move on foot, by bicycle and with the means In public, Waze is only useful when driving a car, focusing on the best way to get to your destination as quickly as possible.
For this goal there is no app comparable to Waze, which is the best ever, perfect for getting around by car and getting there as soon as possible even if there was congested traffic.
For each road, an alternative is highlighted with the respective travel time and you receive real-time suggestions to change the road before ending up in a traffic jam.
On every street there can be reports of accidents, work in progress, police checkpoints or anything else that can slow down the road.
However, the Waze app is not as immediate as Google Maps, it requires a certain configuration in the settings in order to be able to use it to its full potential.
First of all, go to Settings by pressing the button at the bottom left and then on the gear and move to the Navigation menu -> Type and choose the shortest one .
This prevents the navigator from suggesting strange U-turns or venturing down small streets just to save 30 seconds.
The route processing remains however based on the traffic measured in real time.
In the navigation options, check that the options to avoid freeways and highways are not active, but leave on Avoid the dirt roads option.
In the recent update of March 2016 it is also possible to receive a Waze alarm to know when to leave in order not to arrive late at a place.
Just look for an address or a place to go and, instead of pressing on the Go button, use the alarm button to set an alarm that will sound when the time to leave is.
The alarm can be set for a set time today or for tomorrow or another specific day.
The application will also tell us an estimate, based on historical data, of the traffic forecast for that day and at that preset time.
Another initial problem with Waze are the small icons that pop up on the map, which are reports of people about accidents and slowdowns.
From Settings -> Map View -> Show on Map, deselect the things that interest you least, such as speed cameras (if you use Waze only when there is traffic), wazers, chat and goodies.
Waze is not only a perfect app to find the fastest way on a route, but also to find petrol stations and the prices they charge.
Practically, with Waze under your eyes, you can easily find the lowest petrol price in any area.
Then go to Settings -> Service stations and prices to customize the way Waze finds petrol stations .
Then choose the preferred distributor, the type of petrol of your car and the way in which to order them, by price, distance or brand.
Another option to activate is ETA sending .
We said that Waze is the app to use when driving in a path with a lot of traffic.
With Waze we can tell who is waiting for us for an appointment where we are and make sure that those who receive ETA can follow our journey on the map.
Tap the time at the bottom of the screen, then the " Send your ETA " button to share your location with a contact from our address book or Facebook.
People who receive our position in real time will be able to use Waze to follow us.
In this way, if we get stuck in traffic, those who wait for us will know that it is not an excuse for the delay.
Configure the Widget
Waze for Android provides a really convenient widget to keep on the screen to know, with a touch, how long it takes, at that moment, to go to a place from wherever we are.
To configure the widget, first of all, touch the button at the bottom left, then go to My Waze and, in Home and Work, set the two addresses.
Turn off Waze, go to the list of widgets, find Waze and add it to the home screen of the Android phone.
Now add the widget for Android which will automatically show how long it takes to go home or to work, depending on the traffic detected.
Finally, always remember to turn off Waze when you are not using it, in order not to consume too much battery.
The shutdown button is found by pressing the Waze icon button on the bottom left.
