The battle in the navigation software space has gotten fiercer in recent years, primarily because other companies, including navigation specialists like Sygic, TomTom, and HERE, have become more committed to improving their mobile solutions.
All these companies have previously used their navigation know-how, maps, and the rest of the resources for dedicated GPS navigators or integrated vehicle solutions.
However, using a mobile phone for navigation has become significantly more convenient for drivers worldwide, especially as these always-connected navigation applications offer numerous benefits, including up-to-date maps and real-time traffic information.
The navigation app battle is currently dominated by three apps: Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps. Users can also install several other freeware alternatives, such as OsmAnd, but these three big names are most commonly the preferred apps for navigation on Android and iPhone, CarPlay, and Android Auto.
With Google Maps and Waze owned by the same company, Google is clearly the big winner here. However, the search giant is now building the navigation app everybody will eventually use for a simple reason: it'll offer the most advanced features packed into a freeware offering.
Before you rush to the comment section to tell me that we pay with our data, and Google Maps isn't by any means the most advanced navigation app, it's important to look at the most recent announcements and read between the lines to understand how Google wants to dominate the navigation space in the long term.
First, it wants to spearhead the AI revolution in the navigation wars.
The integration of Gemini provides Google Maps and its users with navigation features that have until now been spotted only in patent applications or user concepts.
The ability to do everything behind the wheel using only our voices has been a priority for a long time for both carmakers and companies like Google and Apple. However, Google Assistant has so far malfunctioned in horrible ways, sometimes failing even to recognize what users were saying.
Gemini can run more complex searches based on data extracted from online sources like Google reviews and listings on Google Maps. For a restaurant, it can check the menu and find out the prices for specific dishes. For gas stations, it can search for prices. For other businesses and can tell you the opening hours and offer to call them for additional information.
Gemini also improves the way drivers are provided with turn-by-turn audio guidance. The new assistant can search for additional information on your turns and provide you with more context to make the guidance it offers more straightforward. It can use real-life landmarks, buildings, and other POIs to let you know where you must turn to follow the suggested route.
The long-term goal is to let drivers focus on the road without a downgrade from a feature perspective. Gemini is supposed to become a full-time driving companion, and with deep integration in Google Maps and Android Auto, it'll certainly win the hearts of more drivers who don't want to rely on touch input for everything they do behind the wheel.
Second, Google is seriously reducing the feature gap versus other apps, sometimes in ways that make users question its long-term strategy.
Case in point, incident reporting.
Google Maps users have been able to pin hazards to the map since 2019, but the feature was exclusive to mobile devices running Android and iOS. The reason was simple: Google did not want Google Maps to cannibalize Waze, whose main selling point is incident reporting.
This approach changed last year when Google brought incident reporting to Google Maps on Android Auto and CarPlay. Many users immediately predicted that the ends of Waze were already numbered, especially as Google also started showing police reports from Waze in Google Maps.
With Gemini, Google is also making it ridiculously easy to send a traffic report in Google Maps. A feature called Conversational Reporting allows users to mark a hazard on the map without remembering complex phrases for each report type. Gemini can listen to what users say and process their words so that it extracts essential information about a traffic report.
For instance, if you say something like "road workers blocked the right lane and caused a massive traffic jam," Gemini can submit traffic reports for roadworks and traffic jams for your current location.
The long-term goal appears to be turning Google Maps into something that all users would eventually use, no matter if they like the app or not. Google Maps is slowly becoming an all-in-one navigation app, and yes, it looks like it'll eventually absorb Waze.
The only thing that could slow down or stop Google's strategy is a more aggressive offensive from its rivals. Apple barely shows any commitment to improving Apple Maps on this front, so all signs suggest that nothing can prevent Google Maps from securing the leading spot it already earned in the navigation battle.
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