Not impressed with Google Maps? Make Waze your default on Pixel – here’s how

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Over the weekend, I recovered myself saying, “I’ve had it with you, Google Maps!” It was a straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back situation: The app wasn’t moving arsenic expected, failing to commencement navigation, and the ever-growing klunkiness of the interface was truly getting to me.

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There were different issues that progressive a lake’s name, but we won’t get into that. After that proverbial last straw fell, I instantly installed Waze connected my Pixel 9 Pro. I’d utilized Waze earlier connected erstwhile Pixel phones, but for immoderate reason, I stopped. Now, I was determined to marque it my default mapping app.

Little did I cognize however frustrating that would be.

In its infinite wisdom, Google decided it wasn’t going to let users to easy acceptable a antithetic app arsenic the default mapping instrumentality connected the Pixel. It utilized to beryllium precise easy: instal the caller app, navigate to default apps, and acceptable it arsenic such. That’s nary longer the lawsuit aft the August Android update. Go to Default apps, and you won’t adjacent find a mode to acceptable a antithetic mapping app arsenic your default.

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Sure, you could find Waze connected the default leafage and past take however to unfastened web links for the app, but that doesn’t truly bash thing to marque it your default due to the fact that it inactive doesn’t let apps similar Calendar to unfastened it by default.

Setting Waze arsenic the default mapping app

The instrumentality is easy. The archetypal happening to bash is instal Waze via the Google Play Store. Once you’ve done that, if you unfastened Waze, you won’t beryllium prompted to acceptable it arsenic your default, and you won’t find a mode to bash truthful successful the Waze settings.

Instead, you person to archetypal disable Google Maps.

1. Open Apps

Open the Settings app and past pat the Apps entry.

2. Expand the app listings

You astir apt won’t spot Google Maps listed astatine the top, unless you’ve precocious opened it. If not, pat See each apps to grow the listing.

3. Open the Maps entry

Scroll down until you find the Maps introduction and pat it.

Also: I tested Google Maps vs. Waze to find the champion updated navigation app – and this 1 wins

4. Disable Maps

On the resulting page, you’ll spot a fastener labeled Disable. Tap that introduction truthful it past changes to Enable.

5. Set Waze arsenic your default

At this point, the lone mapping app Android volition beryllium alert of is Waze. You tin trial that by opening an code from, say, a calendar appointment. Waze should automatically open. You mightiness besides beryllium prompted to acceptable Waze arsenic the default; if so, bash so.

6. Add Waze to Android Auto

To usage Waze with Android Auto, you person to adhd its icon to the launcher. To bash that, spell to Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto > “Customize launcher” and marque definite that Waze is checked. Once added, you tin past determination it up successful the database truthful it’s easier to access.

And that’s each determination is to mounting up a antithetic mapping app arsenic the default.

Jack Wallen

Contributing Writer

Jack Wallen is what happens erstwhile a Gen Xer mind-melds with present-day snark. Jack is simply a seeker of information and a writer of words with a quantum mechanical pencil and a disjointed bushed of dependable and soul. An award-winning writer and novelist, Jack has been covering Linux, open-source, and different topics since the precocious 1990s for galore publications specified arsenic ZDNET, CNET, TechRepublic, Linux.com, The New Stack, Linode, TechTarget, and Linux New Media. Jack's besides written implicit 50 novels of fiction, astatine slightest 1 of which focuses connected the Linux operating system. For much quality astir Jack Wallen, sojourn his website jackwallen.com. See afloat bio

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