Google Maps, Waze disable their live traffic feature in Israel

Google Maps and Waze, both owned by Google, are halting the dissemination of live traffic conditions in Israel according to Geektime (via CNN). Google spoke with regional and local authorities among other sources before deciding to remove this feature from its navigation apps. A Google spokesman said, “As we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and business information out of consideration for the safety of local communities.”

We don’t know how long Google Maps and Waze will disable live traffic info in Israel but Google did note that “anyone navigating to a specific place will still get routes and ETAs that take current traffic conditions into account.”

You might remember that in February 2022, Google Maps traffic in Ukraine tripled when the war with Russia started as many were looking to cross the border to Poland. But Google then temporarily disabled Google Maps in the country, an action it said was taken to protect the security of users in the area.

In the present case, Google is making this decision as Israel reportedly plans a ground invasion in Gaza. The report notes that it is unclear whether the live traffic conditions will be disabled in Israel, Gaza, or both. It also isn’t known whether the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has requested that Google take this action to hide the location of its troops. It should be noted that Waze was launched in Israel and was purchased by Google in 2013. Last year, both Google Maps and Waze merged their separate teams into one unit.

While Google Maps not only takes you quickly and safely from point “A” to point “B,” it also tells you where you can find a good meal when you get to your destination, the best places to spend the night, what activities and entertainment are being offered, and also point out places of interest historic or otherwise. Waze, on the other hand, focuses on navigation  and relies on crowdsourced information to pass along potential issues such as heavy traffic, accidents, police activities, problems with roads, and weather issues.