Google's navigation apps, both Waze and Google Maps, are now bringing the search engine giant into a legal battle for alleged anti-competitive practices.
The illustration shows a telephone with the Waze navigation app in Edegem, Thursday 26 March 2020. From March 18th, new measures are taken to avoid the spread of the Covid-19.
Google's Navigation Apps Waze, Google Maps
Google currently owns two navigation apps, namely Waze and Google Maps. These two are at the top among popular navigation tools not just in the United States, but also across the globe.
Folks behind the wheel rely on navigation apps to go to unfamiliar places.
Not to mention that some drivers also use apps like Waze to check the best route for their daily commute to avoid any traffic congestion along the way.
Navigation apps have also been a go-to for bikers and even those walking around the city.
In fact, according to a news story by the Daily Mail, Apple Maps is currently surveying the streets of London, Manchester, and Birmingham to improve pedestrian navigation on its apps.
On top of that, Google Maps has also rolled out pedestrian features for select cities globally.
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Waze, Google Maps Lawsuit
Meanwhile, Google's navigation apps are now facing a legal battle in the U.S., bringing the tech giant to court, as per a news story by Auto Evolution.
To be more precise, a recent lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleged that Google performed anti-competitive practices for its navigation platforms.
What's more, the lawsuit also alleges that the tech giant is also using its dominance in the navigation app market to lock developers into the Google ecosystem, wherein they were asked to pay for higher prices.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg Law, the antitrust lawsuit also claims that Google currently holds roughly 81% of the navigation app market through its Google Maps app.
It was also mentioned in the lawsuit that Google purchased another navigation app, Waze, way back in 2013.
KNUTSFORD, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 28: The Waze smartphone navigation app displays nearby fuel prices at petrol stations on September 28, 2021 in Knutsford, United Kingdom.
It further claims that it was the only close rival of Google Maps which offered the same type of service during that time. As such, the tech giant essentially bought what appears to be the top alternative app for its own navigation platform.
In turn, the firm ended up owning what are now the top two navigation apps out there, which the lawsuit says locked up developers to use what Google was offering.
Here comes the problem.
Although the Google Maps app is free to use for its users, app developers using its API are charged a fee, which the suit claims to have dramatically skyrocketed.
That said, the lawsuit went on to reveal that Google had raised its prices in the last four years for a whopping 1,400%.
Google has yet to release any statements regarding the recent lawsuit alleging anti-competitive practices on its navigation apps.
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