Live Traffic, GPS Navigation and Driving Directions

Waze GPS

Waze GPS technology represents a significant leap forward from traditional satellite navigation. While standard GPS units simply answer the question 'Where am I?', Waze GPS answers 'What is happening where I am?'. By combining raw satellite positioning data with mobile cellular triangulation and real-time user velocity data, Waze creates a map that is not just geographically accurate but temporally aware.

Waze GPS feature illustration

How Waze Uses GPS Data

Every Waze user is a moving data point. Your phone's GPS helps Waze calculate the average speed of traffic on your road segment. If the GPS data shows 50 cars moving at 10mph in a 60mph zone, Waze's servers instantly recognize a traffic jam and update the map for all other users. This crowdsourced data is the secret sauce that makes Waze traffic alerts so incredibly fast.
Waze GPS interface detail

Dealing with GPS Dead Zones

One challenge of GPS is losing signal in tunnels or 'urban canyons' (streets with tall skyscrapers). Waze has developed 'Waze Beacons'—Bluetooth devices installed in tunnels in cities like Boston and Paris—to provide seamless navigation where GPS satellites cannot reach. Even without beacons, Waze's software is good at 'dead reckoning', estimating your position based on your last known speed until signal returns.

Improving Accuracy

To get the best performance from Waze GPS, ensure your phone has a clear view of the sky (a dashboard mount is better than a cup holder). Also, in your phone settings, make sure 'Location Services' for Waze is set to 'Always' or 'While Using App' with 'Precise Location' enabled. This ensures the app gets the granular data needed for turn-by-turn accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Waze say 'No GPS'?

This usually happens when your view of the sky is obstructed (parking garages, tunnels). If it happens in open air, try toggling your phone's Airplane mode on and off to reset the GPS chip.

Does Waze use data or just GPS?

Waze requires both. It uses GPS satellites for location and a cellular data connection to download map tiles and receive live traffic updates from the server.

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