The Google Maps Platform is a set of APIs and SDKs that allows developers to embed Google Maps into mobile apps and web pages, or to retrieve data from Google Maps.

The "Google Maps Platform Transition Account" was created to help certain customers transition to our new pay-as-you-go pricing plan. This transition account enabled Google to provide these customers with a one-time credit, so that they could continue using Google Maps Platform up to the limit of the $200 free tier.

These changes aim to make Google Maps feel less cluttered and more intuitive, especially on smaller screens. The streamlined layout is also expected to improve one-handed usability on mobile devices.

Google owns both mapping apps as they acquired Waze in 2013 but kept it as a separate app with separate developers that focused on different features. While both apps provide the same basic functionality and utility, significant differences may appeal to you based on how you use a mapping app.