Google's Waze Can Now Be Pre-installed On Android Devices

Google’s Waze can now be pre-installed on Android devices

BY Evan Selleck

Evan Selleck

Evan's a lover of all things technology, and he's got a major soft spot for the mobile industry. Give him some time and he'd be more than happy to talk your ear off about all the new and shiny things....

All Articles by Evan Selleck

Published 3 Mar 2015

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Way back in 2013, Google purchased the mapping service known as Waze, and soon after some of the features therein were baked into Google Maps.

It was expected that after the acquisition of the app, Google would simply fold Waze into Maps altogether, but that hasn’t happened yet, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen at all. Was has maintained its individuality, even as its features get tossed into Maps, and that trend will continue as the company has announced that the app can now be pre-installed on Android devices moving forward.

That means Waze is now officially a Google Mobile Services app, placing it squarely in the same category as Maps, Chrome and Gmail, which means manufacturers like HTC and Samsung can opt to include Waze right out of the box. Then again, Maps is more than good enough for most people, and that’s already pre-installed.

Waze has plenty of great features, many of which are socially tuned in one way or another, including the app’s latest update to track your friends.

Do you use Waze at all, or do you simply stick with Google Maps?

[via Android Central]