In October, Waze gave its iOS app a bit of a makeunder, and now that simplified user interface is heading to Android as well.
Released Wednesday, Waze 4.0 for Android comes with a fresh new design for easier navigation, reporting, and sharing. This version also "significantly" reduces battery consumption so you'll have more juice when you get to your destination, the Google-owned, crowd-sourced traffic and navigation app promised.
Now, it should take fewer taps to start a drive, send locations, and directions.
"The Waze map, menus, and road reporting system are redesigned for higher visibility and clarity, including less clutter on the map, brighter buttons, and color-coded pins per report type," Waze said. "From head to toe, Waze has been revamped with a stronger focus on the driver and the social driving experience."
A new ETA panel organizes everything you need in one place, letting you view road reports, check alternate routes, add a stop on the way, or send your ETA to a friend.
The latest version also offers smart reminders, which will tell you when to leave for Calendar events to get there on time, based on traffic conditions and drive times. Just sync your calendar with the app and make sure to add a street address to your event locations and Waze will watch out for traffic and tell you when to hit the road.
Meanwhile, Waze also recently added another pretty sweet feature to its app: the ability to get directions from Morgan Freeman. In the past, Waze has partnered with other big names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, comedians Stephen Colbert and Kevin Hart, and C3PO from the Star Wars universe. But it said Freeman's is "far and away" one of the most requested voices of all time.