Google announced the acquisition of Waze back in June. At the time they talked about how the deal was being made in an effort to outsmart traffic and it looks like Maps users are now getting a first look at the integration. Moving forward those using Google Maps on an Android device will see real-time reports from Waze users.
These reports will include accidents and construction as well as road closures and more. While these reports are coming to Maps on Android, not everyone will see them immediately. Details coming from Google mention how the Waze integration will first appear for those in the US and the UK as well as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Switzerland.
One point that may need some clarification, the incident reports seen within Google Maps will not show any Wazer profile information but they will still earn points on the Waze side.
Flipping things over and it looks like the Waze app is also getting some new features from Google. The new additions will include Google Search and Google Street View. The Google Search option is simple and basically means you will have access to additional search results while navigating. The Google Street View integration includes satellite images and while this second part will likely come with time — it is being done to make it easier to correct any community reported map errors. This portion applies to the Waze Map Editor.
In the end, we suspect some Waze users may still be a bit nervous about the acquisition, but for now it looks like both products are progressing independently. It is also slightly refreshing to see the Waze update as it suggests the app will be sticking around for at least a little while.
Too bad the last Google Maps release took away all the useful features.