Is Waze Safe?
Laura Martisiute
Reading time: 8 minutes

Table of Contents
If you use or plan to use Waze, you need to know: Is Waze safe?
Below, we explain whether Waze is:
- Safe to use.
- Good for privacy.
We also look at some steps you can take to improve both your safety and privacy when using this app.
What Is Waze?
Waze is a community-driven navigation app that provides real-time traffic information, directions, and route optimization for drivers.

Acquired by Google in 2013, the app relies on its users to report live traffic data. Drivers can report traffic jams, accidents, road hazards, police speed traps, etc. The app then uses this information to give users up-to-date traffic conditions and suggest alternative routes.
Waze integrates with third-party apps and services, such as streaming platforms, so users don’t have to leave the navigation screen.
Is Waze Safe?
Yes, Waze is generally considered safe to use for navigation.
The app’s crowd-sourced data lets users stay informed about potential risks on the road, like accidents, which can help reduce stress and improve decision-making while driving.
Waze has also recently introduced school zone alerts to warn drivers when approaching these areas.
At the same time, Waze has been criticized for causing driver distractions through its numerous icons and notifications. According to the Foundation for Traffic Safety, even hands-free interactions (e.g., voice commands) can still lead to significant cognitive distractions.
In 2016, researchers identified a security flaw in Waze that enabled them to fabricate traffic congestion reports and monitor user movements.
And in 2019, cybersecurity expert Peter Gasper identified two vulnerabilities in Waze Live Map, the web-based platform of the navigation application.
The first flaw permitted the tracking of users through a unique identifier linked to the driver’s icon, while the second flaw allowed for the partial de-anonymization of users by extracting their usernames from these unique identifiers.
Google recognized and addressed these flaws promptly.
On their Google Play page, Waze says they encrypt data in transit and allow users to request that their data be deleted. They also say their app has been independently validated against a global security standard.

Waze has been reviewed by PCMag, receiving a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. It has also been reviewed by Tom’s Guide (with a comparison to Google Maps).
The app gets a 4.3 out of a 5.0-star rating (from 8.78m ratings and 500m+ downloads) on Google Play. It gets a 4.8 out of a 5.0-star rating (from 3m ratings) on the App Store.
No data breaches have been associated with Waze at the time of writing.
Is Waze Private?
Depends on your definition of privacy.
Waze allows users to share personal information such as name, age, gender, photos, location, and various reports (e.g., traffic updates and accidents) either publicly with the entire community or privately with friends.
Any content shared on Waze, including voice recordings, is public and can be accessed by other users. However, your email address is not visible to others.

Waze lets users adjust their privacy settings to a certain extent.
For example, users can activate features like “Invisible Mode” to prevent their real-time location from being displayed to other users, and they can anonymize their reports so that their username isn’t shown when they report traffic incidents or hazards.
Privacy-conscious individuals are wary of using Waze due to the fact that it is owned by Google.

In its comprehensive privacy policy, Waze outlines the kind of data it collects, why, and whom it shares it with.
Wave collects data including:
- Account information (e.g., name, email address).
- Information you share (e.g., username, phone number, car details).
- Communication details.
- Information from your social networks (if used to connect to Waze).
- Your and your friends’ phone numbers (if using the ‘Find friends’ feature; collected anonymously).
- Other information (e.g., ‘home’ and ‘work’ information).
- Detailed location, travel, and route information.
- Meta-data (e.g., how often you use Waze’s services and for how long).
- Device identifiers.
Waze collects this data to deliver and enhance its navigation services, improve the app, offer personalized content and advertisements, measure service performance, and communicate important updates and support to users. Data is also used to protect the platform, comply with legal requirements, and prevent misuse.
It does not sell, rent, or lease user personal information to third parties.
Waze says it shares your personal information only when necessary and with your permission, e.g., when operating and improving its services, complying with legal obligations, addressing disputes or safety concerns, and preventing fraud or security issues.
They may also share data with affiliated companies, trusted partners, and service providers for business purposes and with advertising partners like Google to deliver personalized ads.
Waze describes how you can delete your data and how long it usually takes (they aim to initiate the deletion process immediately, but it usually takes around two months for your data to be deleted completely from their storage systems).

Terms of Service; Didn’t Read, a project that rates internet services’ terms of service and privacy policies, gives a “Grade C.” This means, “The terms of service are okay, but some issues need your consideration.”

Among the privacy concerns listed about Waze are the following:
- The service can delete specific content without reason or notice.
- It can collect, use, and share location data.
- It can delete your account without notice or reason.
- It can combine your profile across various products.
- It can use your personal information for marketing.
- It can process and store your data anywhere in the world.
On the plus side, ToS;DR also says that Waze informs users about the risk of publishing personal information online and does not sell your personal data.
How to Improve Your Safety and Privacy On Waze
Follow the below steps for a safer and more private experience when using Waze.
- Use “Invisible Mode.” Turn on Invisible Mode to prevent other Waze users from seeing your real-time location on the map. To activate this, go to Settings → My Waze → Go invisible.
- Anonymize your Waze reports. When submitting traffic reports, hazards, incidents, etc., anonymize them to prevent your username from being associated with the report.
- Avoid sharing identifying information. Remember that any content you share, such as traffic reports or map edits, is public and associated with your username.
- Limit location tracking. Adjust the app’s location permissions so Waze only tracks your location while you’re using the app. On iOS or Android, go to Settings → Apps → Waze → Permissions, and set location access to While Using the App instead of “Always.”
- Turn off location history. Waze collects driving history for route suggestions and traffic patterns. To stop this, go to Settings → Privacy → Location History and turn it off.
- Review third-party integration settings. Waze integrates with services like Google Calendar and Spotify. To limit data sharing, go to Settings → Account & Login → Connected Apps and disconnect any unnecessary integrations.
- Minimize personal information. Use an alias or nickname instead of your real name in your Waze profile. This protects your identity when using social features or submitting reports. Update this in Settings → My Waze → Edit Profile.
- Turn off traffic and speed monitoring. To opt out of Waze collecting anonymous traffic and speed data, go to Settings → Privacy → Data Collection and turn off Send anonymous data.
- Control ad personalization. To limit personalized advertising, navigate to your in-app Privacy Settings and turn off Ads Personalization. This will prevent Waze from using your activity and preferences to tailor ads specifically to you, though you will still see ads that are not personalized.
- Be cautious about how you share voice recordings. If you use voice commands or share voice recordings, only share recordings you are comfortable with being made public. Once shared, Waze cannot control how others use or distribute your voice data.
- Turn off calendar sync. If you don’t need Waze syncing with your calendar, turn off this feature by going to Settings → Calendar Events and toggling it off to prevent Waze from accessing your appointments.
- Regularly clear app data. Periodically clear saved locations, search history, and favorites to minimize the amount of stored data. You can do this by going to Settings → Account & Login → Clear all.
- Avoid linking social media accounts. Avoid connecting Waze with your Facebook or other social media accounts to limit unnecessary data sharing.
- Monitor app permissions. Regularly review and adjust the permissions Waze has on your device. Turn off unnecessary access to features like the microphone, camera, or contacts by going to your device’s Settings → Apps → Waze → Permissions.
- Delete your Waze account. If you stop using Waze, use the Delete Account feature in the app or the Waze website.
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