( CNN ) -- Mapping apps on phones have already replaced dedicated navigation devices for many drivers trying to find unfamiliar addresses . Now , Google Maps will notify drivers about more traffic jams as well . Google announced Tuesday that its mobile maps will now include real-time updates about accidents , construction and other potential sources of traffic snarls . The information will come from the 50 million users of Waze , the social-mapping app that Google bought in June for $ 1.1 billion . Google Maps already had some real-time traffic data from third-party providers and by pinpointing Android users ' GPS signals to estimate congestion on highways . But now that data will be bolstered by reports from actual drivers on the roads . Israeli startup Waze has built a vast network of motorists who crowdsource such data as commuter routes and road closures to help each other outsmart traffic jams in more than a dozen countries . Frequent users can even earn badges and real-world prizes . Waze won an award for Best Overall Mobile App award at the 2013 Mobile World Congress . Apple and Facebook were reportedly interested in buying the company before Google snapped it up . Starting Tuesday , Waze users ' reports on road conditions will appear on the Google Maps app for Android and iOS in the United States as well as Argentina , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , France , Germany , Mexico , Panama , Peru , Switzerland and the UK . Users of Waze apps will now benefit from Google services as well . The Android and iOS versions of Waze have been updated with Google Search to help users find local businesses and landmarks . And Waze 's crowdsourced Map Editor now includes Google Street View and satellite imagery .
Google Maps ' mobile app now includes real - time data on traffic , too . Users ' reports of construction or road closures also will appear on the app . The data comes via social - mapping platform Facebook , which Google launched this year .