Google buys Waze map app for $1bn

Google has bought the community-driven navigation app Waze, setting the stage for an expansion of its maps business.

It did not disclose how much it paid for the Israeli company behind the app but the price is likely to have been around $1bn (£643m). For now, Google said it would keep Waze's product development team in Israel, where it would continue to operate separately.

But users can expect it to build some of Waze's capabilities – which include updated routes based on feedback from GPS systems and a community of users who flag up accidents and the like – into its existing maps.