Google Maps or Waze is usually the go-to choice for directions, and Waze has always been mine. I like how quickly it picks up traffic, warns me about slowdowns, and gives me a heads-up about things happening on the road. I've gotten into the habit of turning it on before I pull out, even when I mostly know the route.The problem started when I noticed my phone's battery dropping much faster than usual after using Waze with Android Auto.At first, I blamed the usual suspects: music playing over Bluetooth, a bright car display, or simply being on a long drive.But it kept happening, even on shorter trips. I didn't want to stop using Waze, so I started digging through its settings and Android's battery controls. That's when I found a few things worth changing.I changed Waze's location permissionBecause Waze doesn't need that much accessFirst things first. I started with the location permission because Waze was one of those apps I never really questioned. If I was driving, it needed my location, so I gave it access and moved on. But when I started looking at what could be contributing to my battery drain, I realized Waze didn't necessarily need access to my location all the time.I really only need it when I'm using the app to get to my grandparents' house or find my way to a shopping mall. So I changed the setting to limit when Waze could use my location.On my Galaxy Z Fold 6, I went to Settings -> Apps -> Waze -> Permissions -> Location and changed the permission to Allow only while using the app.If you have it set to Allow all the time, this is worth checking.Waze still gets my location when I'm navigating, but it doesn't get free rein to keep checking where I am when I'm not using it. I can't say this setting alone fixed my battery drain, but it was an easy place to start.The exact menu may vary depending on your Waze version.I put Waze on a battery leashIt was time to rein it inAfter checking Waze's own settings, I looked at what Android was allowing the app to do. I use Waze almost every day. So I didn't want to give it more freedom to run in the background than it actually needed.On my phone, I went to Settings -> Apps -> Waze -> Battery and checked the battery management options available there. I left the setting that worked with my usual Android Auto setup rather than switching Waze to unrestricted access just for the sake of it. I didn't want to fix one battery problem by creating another.This was more about checking what Waze was allowed to do than flipping one magic switch. Battery behavior can vary from phone to phone, but it was worth making sure Android wasn't letting Waze use more resources than I needed during a normal day.I limited Waze's background activityWaze didn't need to keep runningOne thing I noticed while sorting this out was that I don't need Waze to do much once I've reached where I'm going. If I use it to get to the mall, park the car, and head inside, I'm not exactly sitting there thinking about my next Waze route. The same goes for a quick trip to my grandparents' house. Once I arrived, Waze did its job.So I checked whether my phone was allowing Waze to keep working in the background. On my Fold 6, I went to Settings -> Battery -> Background usage limits and checked Waze there.If you see Waze running freely in the background, you can adjust its background activity based on how you use the app.I didn't want to stop anything that Android Auto actually needed, so I treated this as a middle ground rather than completely restricting Waze. If I'm not navigating, I'd rather Waze take a break too.I checked how much battery Waze was usingThis is where things get interestingI wanted to see if Waze was actually using a noticeable amount of battery or if I was blaming the wrong app. I checked my phone's battery usage after a few drives, because sometimes I'll happily blame an app when the real culprit is sitting somewhere else.On my phone, I went to Settings -> Battery -> Battery usage and checked where my battery was going. If Waze is showing up higher than I'd expect, it's worth paying attention to how much it's using, especially after longer drives with Android Auto, navigation, and the screen running.I wouldn't treat one trip as proof that Waze is draining my battery. Battery use can change depending on how long I drive, my screen brightness, GPS, mobile signal, and what else I'm doing. But checking the numbers gave me a much better idea of whether Waze was actually part of the problem instead of just assuming it was.Where there's a will, there's a way(ze)I wasn't ready to give up Waze just because my battery was taking a hit.After changing these settings, I noticed my battery wasn't dropping as quickly on my usual drives, which was enough to make me keep Waze around.I'm still keeping an eye on it because battery drain can have plenty of causes, but at least I'm no longer watching my battery percentage disappear every time I connect to Android Auto.
+42 others
