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To reduce what you share through Waze, open Menu > Settings > Privacy on your phone and review four controls: personalized ads, Invisible Mode, Navigation history, and recent locations. They address different things. Turning off ad personalization does not block ads, and going invisible hides your profile from other map users but does not stop Waze collecting location and route information.
If you are connected to Android Auto or CarPlay, disconnect your phone before changing these settings. Labels and paths can change as the app is updated.
What each Waze privacy control changes
| Control | What it affects | What may remain |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized ads | Whether ads are personalized to you | Ads may still appear and may use current Waze activity and drive context, according to the Waze Privacy Policy. |
| Go invisible | Your username and profile details shown to other Waze users on the map | Waze says location and route information continues to be collected under its policy. |
| Navigation history | Saved records of drives | Deleting drives does not erase every contribution or other information associated with Waze. |
| Recent locations | Locations used to start navigation or check an ETA | This is separate from Navigation history; removing one does not mean the other has also been cleared. |
1. Turn off personalized ads
In Waze, go to Menu > Settings > Privacy and switch off ad personalization. This changes how ads are personalized; it is not an ad blocker. Waze says you may continue to see ads, and its privacy policy describes advertising that can use current Waze activity and context such as approximate location, general route, destination type, and information about the current drive session.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The setting does not, by itself, turn off Waze location collection or all advertising-related data use. See Waze’s Privacy Policy for the policy’s description of collection and sharing.
#1 Best Overall
- Bright, high-resolution 5” glass capacitive touchscreen display lets you easily view your route
- Get more situational awareness with alerts for school zones, speed changes, sharp curves and more
- View food, fuel and rest areas along your active route, and see upcoming cities and milestones
- View Tripadvisor traveler ratings for top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions to help you make the most of road trips
- Directory of U.S. national parks simplifies navigation to entrances, visitor centers and landmarks within the parks
2. Use Invisible Mode to hide your profile on the map
In Menu > Settings > Privacy, choose Go invisible. Waze says this hides your username and other profile details from appearing on the map to other users. It is useful if your concern is being visible to other Waze users while using the app.
Invisible Mode is not a location-data switch: Waze’s policy says it continues to collect location and route information for the purposes described there. It also does not delete your account or saved information. Waze explains the control in Adjust your Waze Privacy controls.
3. Review or delete Navigation history
Open Menu > Settings > Privacy > Navigation history to review drives and remove an individual drive or the full history. Waze says navigation history is automatically deleted after a few months, but its help page does not give one precise duration that applies to everyone. You can delete it manually instead of waiting.
Rank #2
- 7” high-resolution navigator includes map updates of North America .Special Feature:Easy-To-Read Display; Voice Assist; Hands-Free Calling; Live Traffic and Weather; Traffic Cams and Parking; Smart Notifications,Driver Alerts; Tripadvisor; National Parks Directory; Find Places by Name; Garmin Real Directions Feature.
- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, parking, weather and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
Waze says drives you delete will not be used to personalize ETAs. ETA personalization is a separate control from ad personalization: Waze describes it under Navigation > Personalization. For details on reviewing and removing drives, see View & manage your navigation history; for ETA settings, see Get personalized navigation.
4. Remove recent locations
In the Privacy settings, find Recent locations and remove locations you no longer want listed. Waze says this list can include places used to start navigation or check an ETA.
Recent locations and Navigation history are distinct controls. If your goal is to remove both saved destinations and records of drives, review each area separately rather than assuming clearing one clears the other. Waze’s privacy controls guide describes recent-location management.
Rank #3
- 8” navigator with high-resolution, dual-orientation display and map updates of North America .Special Feature:Large Display; Voice Assist; Hands-Free Calling; Live Traffic and Weather; Traffic Cams and Parking; Smart Notifications,Driver Alerts; Tripadvisor; National Parks Directory; Find Places by Name; Garmin Real Directions Feature.
- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, weather, parking and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
What these settings do not control
Waze’s privacy policy says that, depending on your device and account settings, location and travel information may be collected even when the app is not in use. It gives planned-drive reminders, local traffic notifications, and parking assistance as examples of features that can rely on background location. The policy points users to Android or iOS device settings to adjust location access while the app is not in use.
That permission is managed by the phone’s operating system, not just the Waze Privacy menu. The exact steps differ by device and OS version, so check your current phone settings rather than relying on a path that may not match your device.
The policy also describes collection of GPS and sensor data, timestamps, IP address and route information, account information such as saved Home and Work locations, favorites and destinations, and device and app-use metadata. It describes sharing de-identified information with Google mapping and navigation services to improve products, and sharing information with Google advertising technology for advertising and measurement. No single setting above should be treated as stopping all of these practices.
If you want to delete your Waze account
Account deletion is broader than clearing Navigation history or recent locations, but Waze does not say that it erases every trace of activity. Its help page says saved places and navigation history are removed, while contributions such as map edits and statistical drive data are retained without being linked to the account. Waze’s wording is: “Information you’ve contributed to Waze (like map edits and statistical drive data) won’t be removed, but it will no longer be linked to you.” See Adjust your Waze Privacy controls.
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