What you need to know
- A MarketWatch study that analyzed speed cameras in the US found that the vast majority of people use Google Maps as their navigation app.
- After surveying 1,000 drivers in the US, the results were that 70% of people use Google Maps for navigation.
- Waze and Apple Maps were ranked second in the study, with each app used by about a quarter of the surveyed population.
Apple Maps and Google Maps are two of the most popular navigation apps available, and each app has passionate fans who claim that one is better than the other. In a way, it’s representative of the iPhone vs. Android debate. However, by the numbers, there is one navigation app that stands out from the rest. In a recent MarketWatch study, 70% of respondents said they use Google Maps to avoid speed traps.
Navigation apps help people find their destination, but they also provide other functions thanks to information gathering efforts. Apps can notify drivers about hazards, road closures, accidents and speed cameras. This MarketWatch study focused on the latter and how navigation apps help drivers avoid tickets. Researchers studied 1,000 people in the US, which provided insight into their driving habits with respect to speed cameras and what role navigation apps play.
Google Maps has destroyed every other navigation app when it comes to usability. The study found that 70% of people use Google Maps, in part to help spot and avoid pitfalls. Waze, which is also owned by Google, came in second with a usage rate of 27%. Apple Maps is in third place, just behind Waze, with 25% of respondents saying they use Apple’s navigation app.
In total, MarketWatch says 34% of people have been warned at least once by one of the navigation apps about a speed camera.
The results are interesting because the iPhone is extremely popular in the US. Annual reports have revealed that Android users are consistently switching to iOS every year. While fewer Android users bought an iPhone in 2023, 13% of all iPhone buyers came from an Android device. Additionally, iPhones account for more than half of all smartphone shipments in the US. With all that said, iPhone users seem to be ditching the built-in Apple Maps app in favor of Google Maps, based on the results of a MarketWatch report.
Combining Waze and Google Maps users, the vast majority of people in the US turn to Google for navigation.