Does Waze work in the UK? Using Waze in London

Waze is a navigator that takes you from point A to point B. It's a full-fledged social app - reviews, user interaction, events, and ratings become reasons to download Waze. So it is important for regular users to know if this navigator works in other countries.

The short answer: Waze works in the UK

Waze works properly in the UK. Moreover, the UK is one of the countries with the most extensive Waze coverage. It is here that the maps are the most accurate and contain detailed information about places of interest, attractions, and much more.

Since interaction with other users is important in a social app, the UK is a great place to use Waze. It is quite popular in the UK, so you can track other people's activity from your smartphone.

Waze features available in the UK

The following features are available for UK users:

• Participate in Waze events;
• Search for nearby parking lots, hostels, gas stations, stores, etc;
• Detailed route guidance with voice prompts;
• Detailed directions to places of interest and places of interest.

In addition to the above, Waze monitors traffic on the roads, which is especially useful in large cities like London. The time your route will take is calculated based on traffic congestion.

Users can also flag traffic incidents - accidents, repairs, or even police officers. It is also possible just to leave a comment, which Waze owners often use.

Waze social network is a distinctive feature of this app which unities drivers. In addition to the exchange of information on traffic jams, gas stations and its cost of fuel, control points and cameras, via it you can also text any Wazer, send your coordinates or "meet" another Wazer after receiving his or her coordinates. In their turns your Waze-friends can keep eyes on your whereabouts on the way to the meeting place.

There is a capability of linking the accounts of popular social networks (such as Twitter or Facebook) in order to share with your friends the information on your trips and arrival time to destination points, which is a very convenient feature for travelling with a company by different cars; there is no need to explain how to get to the meeting place since you can simply share data with friends via a social network and the app will create routes to the meeting point for everyone.

Simple and even a bit cartoon-like design of the online app turns the journey along a designated route into an exciting game. For moving on roads and other achievements Wazers get points which further affect the "level" of Waze-movement participants and allow not only to secure a position in the rating of drivers, but also get other perks in the form of special icons directly depending on the "experience" gained in Waze.

What regions of the UK are available for maps?

Almost all areas of the UK are covered by Waze. The exceptions are the small villages, but usually they have at least one satellite image. And the app is updated and improved all the time. Users can add their area to the navigator themselves if their rating allows it.

The function of changing already existing maps when inaccuracies are detected is also available.

How much data does Waze use in the UK?

Like any average navigator, Waze uses between 5 and 10 MB of mobile data per hour. In search mode, for example if you need to find a café, restaurant or landmark, the usage may increase to 20 MB per hour. If you use it actively during the day, the consumption will not exceed 100MB, but it depends a lot on the device and the mobile operator.

Most of the traffic is consumed by downloading photos and references from the Internet. Also a small amount of MB can be spent for downloading of hybrid or satellite maps.

Waze is quite an economical navigator, and its maps can also work offline, which reduces the cost of mobile data to almost zero. Of course some features are disabled in offline mode - like editing a place on the map.

Are you comfortable using Waze in London?

Waze is one of the most convenient navigators for London. Many Waze events are active in that city. In addition the built-in Wikipedia feature will allow you to navigate in an unfamiliar city quite well.

Is Waze available in other countries?

Waze has full coverage in Israel, the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Ecuador, Chile and Panama.

Waze works in other countries, but the amount of information and map detail is noticeably less than in the listed countries.

In what countries is Waze not available or restricted?

Waze is currently blocked in Iran, this is due to the country of the manufacturer.

Also, in many countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Waze maps are underdeveloped due to the lack of a large number of users. Sometimes they can be a satellite image without marked institutions, roads, and reviews.

What are 3 convenient alternatives to Waze?

Google Maps is the most popular navigation app in the UK for motorists and pedestrians. Google Maps contains all the information the user needs: reviews of establishments, navigation, voice prompts, a guide to places of interest and a quick search. In addition, Waze belongs to the same company as Google Maps. The main difference between them is the absence in Google Maps of interactive events and some social interactions, as well as the rating of the user.

Maps With Me - not a bad map for hiking in London. A user-recognized version of maps. It may not be available in all regions of the UK, but it is for London that it fits best. The app has a nice interface and a simple, uncluttered map.

OSMand - software on the basis of which many amateur and free navigators are created. A maximally interactive and flexible application for the user. The main advantage - a full offline navigation and the ability to edit the map, create and save routes.

In Google Play at the moment there are two versions - OSMand and OSMand +. The regular version is completely free, + provides access to some premium features for 999 rubles. Most of this money goes to the development of the application.