How To Close Waze On iPhone 13 (Stop Background Activity)

To close Waze on iPhone 13, you need to force quit the app from the App Switcher or stop its background activity in Settings. Doing this saves battery and frees up system resources after you arrive at your destination.

Force quit to close Waze on iPhone 13

This method immediately terminates all of Waze's processes, including any ongoing navigation and background tracking.

While navigating home screen and apps, swipe up slowly from the very bottom edge of the screen and pause your finger in the middle of the screen. This opens the App Switcher.
Swipe left or right to find the Waze app's preview card.
Flick the Waze preview card upward, off the top of the screen, to force close the app.

Force closing Waze from the App Switcher ensures it no longer runs in the background and conserves your device's resources.

Stop Waze background activity in Settings

If you want to prevent Waze from running in the background without force closing it every time, adjust its settings. This is especially useful if you frequently forget to close the app after navigation ends.

Disable Background App Refresh for Waze

Open the Settings app on your iPhone 13.
Scroll down and tap "Waze."
Toggle the switch next to "Background App Refresh" to turn it off. The switch will change from green to gray.

Disabling Background App Refresh for Waze prevents the app from refreshing its content or using data when you are not actively using it, preserving battery life and reducing data usage. Alternatively, you can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn off the toggle for Waze there.

Change location access to prevent background tracking

In Settings, tap "Waze."
Tap "Location."
Choose "While Using the App" or "Never."

Setting location access to "While Using the App" stops Waze from tracking your location after you close the app. Choosing "Never" blocks all location access, even when the app is open. This prevents Waze from continuing to run in the background for location updates.

Frequently Asked Questions about closing Waze

Does closing Waze stop active navigation?

No, closing Waze on your iPhone 13 will not stop navigation if you have an active route. The navigation and guidance will continue even when the app is closed. You must end the navigation within the app before closing it to stop guidance.

Will closing Waze delete my saved places?

No, closing Waze on your iPhone 13 will not delete your saved locations. Saved places are stored within your Waze account and remain intact even if you close the app.

Why should I close Waze when not in use?

Closing Waze when you are not navigating helps conserve battery life, free up system resources, and reduce data usage. The app can continue to run in the background for location updates and content refresh, which drains your iPhone 13's battery and uses mobile data.