Your favorite Maps app is counting on you to make roads safer! But do you know how to report changes in Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze?

“The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began”, as one of the greatest heroes of all times said, the 3 foot 6 inches tall Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Sometimes, though, when you’re riding your car, the road does not go “ever on and on”, despite what your Maps app is showing (or telling) you. The road suddenly stops, or it’s altered beyond recognition, or – this is fun – there’s a new road in a place where you weren't expecting one at all.

The fun quickly turns into a major inconvenience – or worse – when you’re driving fast, or you’re late, or both. That’s why it’s super important for Maps apps to guide us with accurate, reliable and up-to-date data.

This is where the “You”-factor comes in. The more user-reported inputs there are, the better the navigation apps become.

In this article, we’ve gathered the fastest and most convenient ways for users to report road changes, accidents and other issues on the road thus making it a better, safer driving/riding experience for everybody out there.

This article is focused on tips for Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze and how to report road changes on each platform.

What’s the current state of Maps apps?

Not all Maps apps are created equal. Apple Maps, for all its exciting and cool features, has made headlines recently with some users’ observations that it’s no match for Google Maps when it comes to how quickly it updates and shows newly opened roads. While Google Maps showed the correct info, Apple Maps struggled and misled users with old data, showing old roads and not the up-to-date infrastructure map.

Google Maps may have an age advantage, being launched as early as 2005 (Apple Maps was launched in 2012), but that’s not an excuse, since Apple definitely has the resources to make Apple Maps shine and, you know, not show old maps.

Of course, there’s more to it than just which app has been around longer, or which has a richer daddy. Like the fact that while Google Maps and Waze are different animals altogether, they cross-share data and may have an advantage over their competitors.

Reporting Road Changes in Apple Maps

Even if you’re not living in the US, where Apple is king, there’s a high chance that you’re using the native iOS navigation app. There’s no need for you to inspect, poke and tweak every single thing on Apple Maps, but having the knowledge on how to report a road change – or hazard – is a must.

One option is to use Siri and say something like “Hey Siri, report an accident” or “Hey Siri, there's something in the road”. Or, you can do it on your iPhone.

Here’s how to do it while you’re using turn-by-turn directions:

1. Tap the gray upward arrow at the bottom of the screen of Apple Maps.
2. Tap Report an Incident, then select one of the options: Crash, Hazard, Speed Check, or Roadwork.