How much data does the Waze Navigation app use

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Navigation apps are a great way to navigate around. There are a good number of navigation apps available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. As mobile users, we get to choose between using Google Maps and Waze maps. However, a lot of people have been using Waze for their navigation and an even larger number of people are planning to switch to Waze. While all of that is good, a lot of people have only one particular concern.

The concern that a lot of people, including you and me, will be having is how much data the app actually uses. Because not everyone wants to switch to unlimited plans. So in order to make sure that users don’t run out of data bandwidth, it’s best to know the estimated data usage of the Waze navigation app.

Because this is the most asked and searched question about the Waze app on the internet, we’ll be giving you a good idea of how much data Waze actually uses. Now the amount of data that is normally being used can vary or change depending on the type of network and activities done while using the map.

How Much Data Does Waze Use?

By default, Waze normally uses 0.5MB to 0.6MB per hour when you are on a one-hour drive.

However, that value can change. Depending on the number of hours you use Waze on a single day, the data usage can and will increase per day. The good thing about using Waze is that this navigation app uses fewer data as compared to Google Maps and Apple Maps.

So, if your daily data usage on Waze is about 0.5MB or 0.6MB for an hour, in a month you will be using around 15-20MB per month. If you use 10MB per day, for a good number of hours, you can expect to be using around 300MB per month. While it might seem like a lot, it’s quite less when compared to how much data gets used within a week by Google Maps or even Apple Maps.

Can Waze be used in Offline Mode?

Unlike Google Maps and Apple Maps, Waze doesn’t have any offline mode or the option to download maps offline. If it did have, you could save the maps offline to your device when connected to a WiFi network. Will Waze developers create an offline mode feature? Only time will tell. So far it doesn’t look like Waze will get offline features since it’s an online navigation service.

However, you can follow one way to use the navigation app offline when on a drive. For this, you will have to set up the start and end location on Waze when connected to a WiFi network. Once that’s done, close your internet connection and then start navigation. This doesn’t sound like a great idea, but if you just travel to a single destination, then it’s the perfect workaround and also helps you save your internet bandwidth.

The data usage can vary depending on various factors such as the duration of the trip as well as various other services that you use within Waze such as a music streaming service.

How to Reduce Data Usage on Waze?

While the data usage for awesome people might just be fine, it can be a problem for others, especially if they are on smaller data plans. Here are a few ways you can ensure that Waze uses less data.

  • Always set your route while connected to a WiFi network before heading out.
  • Make sure to keep the Waze app updated at all times. An outdated Waze app can have some bugs where it might be using more than the necessary data.
  • Always close the app from the recent menu on your Android or iPhone. Keeping Waze running in the background when not in use will cause Waze to always connect to the internet.
  • Avoid using any music streaming service along with Waze.
  • Turn off other traffic updates and alerts such as roadblocks, potholes, accidents, and other road alerts.
  • Add your most used routes as favorites so that you can have a pre-loaded route available within Waze at all times.
  • Best of all, switch from Waze to any other Map service that lets you download apps to your mobile device.
  • That’s it.

Conclusion

This concludes everything you need to know about how much data Waze uses while traveling and navigating at the same time. While Waze is a pretty informative navigation app, the lack of offline mode and the ability to download maps to your device is a huge drawback for a lot of people. In this case, you can either switch to Here Maps, Google Maps, or even Apple Maps on your iPhone.

If you still have any queries, then you can leave a comment in the comment box. Also, share this article with your friends.

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AUTHOR.

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Joshua D'souza

Enjoy games, 90's hip-hop, and tech. Loves exploring the infinite world of laptops and food. Every ready to provide assistance in anything that rocks his boat. Will gladly enjoy capturing memories through various lenses. Worked previously at PiunikaWeb as an author and researcher.

1 thought on “How much data does the Waze Navigation app use”

  1. Thanks for the excellent article on Waze. Iโ€™m just a bit confused though. When you say โ€œ Always close the app from the recent menuโ€ , do you mean power down ie: sleep mode?
    Thanks

    Reply

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