You will often hear ‘There’s an app for that’ when you ask about something. The normalcy of having an app for everything is the result of us living in an age where technology is practically dictating our lives. Technology has transformed our ways of life, work, commuting, communicating and even the way we read. It has also changed the way we look at things, for example, the way we navigate and explore new places, new restaurants, or locate nearby cafes or shopping centres.
To help us in finding the fastest routes to our destinations there has been a constant emergence of transportation apps. These apps also offer options to the user of selecting the mode of transportation like a bike, car, foot or public transport to reach the destination. Depending on the preference of the mode of transport the app it selects a route, estimates the time and so forth. One such app is Waze Navigation, which offers a great experience to their clients.
In this article, we will discuss how to develop apps like Waze navigation. To do that we will discuss them in parts like what is special about Waze GPS app, how it works and features that one should bear in mind while developing apps like Waze navigation.
What is app like waze navigation?
Waze Navigation app is the second most popular app used by people after Google Maps. A recent survey revealed that till June 2018 Waze Navigation had over 100 million active users per month. As a mobile app for navigation apps Waze have captured the GPS navigation system because of two reasons:
- Providing users with a better and faster system to navigate the traffic.
- Rerouting drivers to roads with less traffic hence changing the pattern of the traffic, which would result in fewer traffic jams.
Waze navigation has been able to help users to have better commuting with less time. It has also initiated the discussion among the users of the app about unexpected traffic jams, car accidents, and traffic slow-downs that they witnessed during their commute. This helps other users of the app to make an informed decision about the road that they take for their journey.
Waze Navigation has become popular because of the way it works and helps the users in commuting.
How It Works?
There are several features in the Waze GPS app that makes it work the way it does, which is beneficial for its users.
Following are some of the ways that the Waze app works:
- It uses all the information used and shared by the users to create its own map in real-time by using the GPS data from the user’s mobile device. This means the more people using the app will result in the app being able to provide better and fuller information to its users.
- By collating the data from the GPS, Waze is able to collect information about the roads even from the passive users who do not share the messages about road conditions to other users. Rather the GPS uses the live location and speed of the commute to update their real-time map.
- All the GPS data, as well as most of the information collected by the app, is stored on the device of the user, i.e. the client-side storage.
- On a regular interval, the map is updated by using the user’s real-time location. In case of interrupted data connection, the app assumes the user is following the same route at the same speed thus showing the unchanged route. It will update the information after the connection is restored and guide the user accordingly.
- In case a user updates of roadwork being in progress or presence of police on the road, the map displays it for the rest of the users to see it.
- Waze navigation gets financial support by promoting certain business; this often results in the user not being able to see all the gas stations in the map, rather only the companies that sponsor Waze.
- With Waze, a user can activate voice navigation thereby concentrating on the road and not look for the directions on the map.
- The app makes driving safer because it does not allow a driver to type while he/she is driving.
It is important for any new start-ups to understand the ways that Waze navigation works if they wish to make a navigation app like Waze.
Features That An App Like Waze Navigation Should Have?
One of the reasons that Waze became a popular navigation app is because it allowed third-party developers to design the add-ons, which added more substance to the app. So if you are planning to make an app like Waze there are few features that you need to keep in mind while developing it.
- Authorization: Space must be given to the users, i.e. personal accounts so that they can recommend and update their experiences about the commute with other users of the app. This enables a sense of trust among the community of the users and better scalability of the app.
- Geolocation: To provide seamless service and precise navigation to the user’s location data should be received by the smartphone from a minimum of four satellites. Also, the app must be able to triangulate the location by using cell phone ID and network data. By using both cellular network data and GPS the app gets reliable navigation and in case of weak GPS, there is a backup.
- Voice Directions: This feature will ensure the safety of the drivers so developers should consider using the Google Maps Directions API. If this is embedded in the app then the driver using the app can receive turn-by-turn voice direction and concentrate on the road instead of the map on the screen.
- Rerouting: This is an essential feature of the app, it is important for the drivers to be able to get quick rerouting from the initial direction if they are in a congested or blocked area.
- Add-ons: It is important for the navigation app to be able to give information to the user about the local and nearby business on the map and check-in’s made by friends, like the ones done by Google Local and Google Contacts. Thus it is important that the app helps the user to connect with other users and friends.
- Real-time Notifications: This is an effective feature that allows the app to constantly update the details about the roads thereby making it easier for the user to decide on the route to take.
How Matellio Can Help You?
Matellio is an one-stop shop for all your requirements in developing a customized app. With our accurate and advanced solutions with a highly experienced team, we can provide you to create a navigation app like Waze. We can help you to build a navigation app that is creative, user-friendly and meets all the requirements, which would fulfill the user’s need of providing a seamless, effective and safe commuting solution.
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