Waze, a very popular turn-by-turn navigation app, is already used by millions of people for the convenience that it offers. Google acquired it back in 2013 and has kept it running since then. The company’s latest move could expands Waze’s presence even more by making sure that it is pre-installed on future Android smartphones. It would get the place on new devices like Google’s other apps such as YouTube, Gmail, Maps and more enjoy.
Google has added the Waze app to the list of Google Mobile Services. This is a bundle of Google’s software that OEMs can install on top of the Android operating system, which most of them do, devices from manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and Sony all contain these core apps from Google. OEMs now have the option of adding Waze as well.
The idea is to expand Waze’s user base even further to improve one of its best features which is the ability to reroute users if there is traffic congestion or an accident on their route. It relies upon crowdsourced traffic data for this purpose and when the app is being used by an even larger audience, the feature should get even smarter.
Even though Google has added this app to Google Mobile Services the final decision rests in the hands of OEMs, they are the ones who will ultimately decide if Waze will come pre-installed on their devices, so it remains to be seen which OEMs go down this route.
Filed in . Read more about Apps, Google and Waze. Source: theverge