Google-owned Waze has recently released a new update for its iPhone and CarPlay app, almost two months after publishing the previous build.
Waze 4.69.2 received the go-ahead in the App Store on December 7, and now, version 4.70 is available today for any iPhone running iOS 11 or later.
As per the company’s typical approach, the changelog includes only very basic information, with Waze explaining this update “fixes a bug that caused the app to close when updating the map.”
Oddly enough, I encountered the same bug on CarPlay in the latest beta build (4.70.90.900, which in theory is an even newer release), with the app closing all of a sudden while driving. Tapping the Waze icon on the CarPlay home screen relaunches the app from where it left off, only that it’s typically just a matter of time until it closes again to go back to the app list.
But the big change in this new update concerns the privacy information Waze now shares in the App Store, as per the requirements of Apple.
The parent company has updated the listing to reveal that Waze might use device identifiers to track you while also indicating that the data linked to you include the search history, usage data, contacts, location, and health and fitness.
Apple now requires all developers to share such private information with users, and this is believed to be one of the reasons Google needed so much time to update its apps. Google Maps, for example, still hasn’t received this mandatory privacy update, with the last release published on December 1.
Other than that, Waze remains the same great app we know and love, and you’re obviously recommended to get the latest update to also receive the aforementioned bug fix. This new version is published in the App Store here, but it may already be installed on your phone if you enabled automatic app updates.
As per the company’s typical approach, the changelog includes only very basic information, with Waze explaining this update “fixes a bug that caused the app to close when updating the map.”
Oddly enough, I encountered the same bug on CarPlay in the latest beta build (4.70.90.900, which in theory is an even newer release), with the app closing all of a sudden while driving. Tapping the Waze icon on the CarPlay home screen relaunches the app from where it left off, only that it’s typically just a matter of time until it closes again to go back to the app list.
But the big change in this new update concerns the privacy information Waze now shares in the App Store, as per the requirements of Apple.
The parent company has updated the listing to reveal that Waze might use device identifiers to track you while also indicating that the data linked to you include the search history, usage data, contacts, location, and health and fitness.
Apple now requires all developers to share such private information with users, and this is believed to be one of the reasons Google needed so much time to update its apps. Google Maps, for example, still hasn’t received this mandatory privacy update, with the last release published on December 1.
Other than that, Waze remains the same great app we know and love, and you’re obviously recommended to get the latest update to also receive the aforementioned bug fix. This new version is published in the App Store here, but it may already be installed on your phone if you enabled automatic app updates.