by Claire Berry
We have all needed to go to a place we didn't quite know the directions to. Some of us have had to navigate new cities without getting having friends to walk us through. Fortunately, we now have navigation systems and GPS installed in our cars and smartphones.
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As with everything good, there is always something complicated about it. The incredible number of apps that provide navigation advice is just a bit overwhelming. Because of this, knowing which to use and when to use it can be challenging.
For this reason, we will be discussing one of the best navigation apps on the internet today - Waze.
Waze is a community-driven GPS navigation service developed by an Israeli Company. Started in 2006 as FreeMap Israel, the company has since commercialized to be called Waze Mobile Ltd.
In 2013, Google acquired the company as a Google subsidiary company. Even though it has many competitors, Waze manages to check all the right boxes. Besides, who would pass up a service owned by Google?
Waze is available as a mobile application on Android and iOS devices. There is also a web client that you can visit from your PC.
The service gives navigation and travel route information to users. It also provides user-submitted information on different locations for your perusal. Waze also lets you download information specific to locations over the internet. The usefulness of the service has seen its user base grow from tens of thousands to millions of monthly active users.
One of the only downsides is that the app comes with a few more features than is available on the website version. Installing an android or IOS application on a PC normally should not work. Thanks to emulators, it is not impossible.
In this guide, we will walk you through how to download the Waze app for Windows 10,8,7 and Mac PC.
Before going, you might want to learn some of the best features of Waze; especially if you are only learning about it for the first time.
Knowing which software is better between Waze and Google Maps entirely depends on personal preference.
The main difference between the two navigation services is that Waze is a community-driven project. Google Maps, is run by Google. Google Maps is highly detailed. Waze, on the other hand, only has 13 country full base maps. This means that other countries are incompletely mapped. So if you are visiting a place no other Waze user has managed to map out, you are on your own.
Both Google Maps and Waze have mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. However, Google Maps is automatically available on almost all Android devices. This is due to Google's influence on the Android Operating system. Unlike Waze that must be manually downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple App store as the case may be.
Both services, Google Maps, and Waze can determine traffic conditions and flag traffic on your route. Both are also designed to reroute you if the traffic condition on your initial route is heavily congested.
That said, we can now discuss how to use this incredible navigation service app on your PC.
There are two ways to use Waze on PC.
1. Waze app for Windows and Mac using Android Emulator
2. Waze web client for Mac and Windows
Android emulators are computer programs that create an android interface on your PC. They are third-party programs. With these programs, you can successfully install and run Android apps on your computer.
There are also iOS emulators. However, iOS-related apps are generally more rigid and hard to customize. Android apps and operating system, on the other hand, is highly customizable. Hence, why developers often prefer working on Android OS to iOS.
There are different Android Emulators capable of running android apps smoothly on your PC. In this article, we will only talk about the very best - Bluestacks.
1. Click Here to download the Bluestacks 5 installation file.
NOTE: There are other versions of Bluestacks but Bluestacks 5 is the fastest android emulator on the market. It is not compatible with all Windows Version though. You might have to download an older version if it continuously crashes on your PC.
2. Once the download is complete, tap on it to begin the installation process. When this is done, BlueStacks should automatically launch for its first-time configuration process. If it does not, double-click the BlueStacks icon on your home screen.
3. You should receive a prompt to sign in using your Gmail account. If you are not comfortable with using your personal Gmail account, you can always create a new one. Simply tap on the "Create Account" option to get started.
NOTE: This process is necessary to grant your PC access to Google Play Services
4. After signing in, you will have to wait a few minutes for the Bluestacks home screen to load.
NOTE: The first-time launch takes more time than the subsequent launch.
5. On the home screen, tap on the Google Play Store app.
6. Search for the Waze app using the search bar
7. Click the install button and wait.
NOTE: Depending on the strength of your internet connection, this could take a few seconds to a few minutes.
8. Open the Waze app and enter your login details.
You can now access all the mobile app features of Waze from your PC.
This option is only viable if you do not mind missing out on some of the features available only on the app version.
The Waze website client only provides online navigation services to users. The biggest advantage of using this method is you do not have to download any software. As long as you have a Waze account, you can use it.
To use the web client, click here. Sign in and you are good to go.
Windows Phone is a discontinued brand of a smartphone developed by Microsoft. Due to the high popularity of Microsoft, phones already produced under the brand are still in circulation.
Unfortunately, the Windows phone has a unique operating system. This makes it impossible to download the Android or iOS app on it.
Waze is not available on Windows Phone. To access it, you will have to use the Web client
Yes, you can listen to music using the Waze App.
Thanks to Waze's partnership with some of the major music streaming platforms, this is now possible. Spotify, Pandora, and Deezer are just a few of the streaming services you can access via the Waze app.
The only requirement to use this feature is to have an account with one of the partnered streaming platforms.
NOTE: Not all the music streaming platforms are available on the Android and iOS versions of the software. For instance, Android Waze users cannot link their Deezer account while iOS users cannot listen to NPR One or Pandora music.
This feature is only available on the mobile app. Waze has a feature that lets users record their navigation voice prompts. If you use the web client, voiced navigation prompts will revert to default.
Waze also has featured voices from renowned personalities for users to select. These personalities include Kevin Hart, Morgan Freeman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.
Yes, it detects police routes. You will get prompts whenever you are close to any registered police patrolling route. You will not get any information about the proximity of a patrolling police car. For people concerned about visiting a new place, knowing the police can quickly get to them in case of emergency is welcome!
When you drive too fast, the app has a feature that sends you prompt alerts to slow down.
About Claire Berry
Claire's journey began with a deep dive into programming and computer science. She honed her coding skills and gained a comprehensive understanding of AI systems, enabling her to create complex and lifelike android characters. Her unique talent lies in crafting compelling narratives that explore the intricate relationship between humans and artificial beings.
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