Google and Apple have both temporarily disabled live traffic updates for Israel and Gaza in their respective Maps and navigation apps. This decision was made out of consideration for the safety of local communities, particularly in response to the evolving situation in the region. While users can still obtain route and estimated time of arrival (ETA) information that takes current traffic conditions into account, they won’t have access to real-time traffic data in these apps, as they did in the past.
These actions were taken in anticipation of an Israeli military operation in Gaza. Google disabled live traffic updates to comply with a request made by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), likely to prevent the feature from revealing troop movements and potentially tipping off opposing forces. Apple also removed live traffic in the region to adhere to the IDF’s request.
It’s worth noting that Google had previously taken similar steps in 2022 when it deactivated live traffic data in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. This was done to protect the safety of locals and was the result of consultations with Ukrainian authorities.
