Waze gets Lyfted, becomes the ride-sharing company's default navigation app
Between this and the partnership with GM, Lyft appears ready to bring the battle to Uber.
Drivers often tout Waze as one of the best navigation apps on the road. Now, it's being integrated into Lyft's system in an attempt to give the ride-sharing company's drivers and passengers an extra advantage.
The partnership, which will bear fruit "in the coming weeks," according to Lyft's blog post Tuesday, incorporates Waze's software development kit into Lyft's app. Drivers will receive real-time updates to routes, cutting down on wasted time for all parties.
While drivers will have to switch over to Waze on the road, the app will feature a "Return to Lyft" button that gives them quick access to Lyft's driver app, which drivers use to signal when a rider has been dropped off or when a car has arrived to pick a rider up. Waze will also become the de facto navigation app for all new Lyft drivers.
The trick to Waze lies in its use of crowdsourcing. Individual Waze users can point out hazards and on-road issues that might lead to delays, and those updates are pushed to every other user in real time. After purchasing the company, Google's own Maps app grew to incorporate Waze's wealth of user-submitted data, as well.
Hopefully, Waze's numerous voice-overs will come along for the ride, too.