Waze alerts for nearby cyclists

Sharing the road with bikes is easier when drivers get a heads-up before the next turn. On November 10, 2026, Waze and Garmin announced Live Cycling Alerts: cyclists who opt in with Garmin LiveTrack can appear as a moving icon for nearby Waze drivers, with a temporary alert that reminds people to slow down and leave space.

This is feel-good consumer software with a privacy rule attached. Drivers see that a cyclist is nearby, not who that rider is.

What Waze and Garmin launched

From Waze’s Google blog post and Garmin’s newsroom release:

• Cyclists using a compatible Garmin Edge bike computer or Garmin smartwatch can share LiveTrack location for an outdoor cycling activity.
• Opt-in happens through Garmin Connect. Location sharing is session-based: it is meant for the ride you started, not a permanent tracker for Waze.
• Waze shows Live Cycling Alerts when a participating Garmin cyclist is nearby, including a moving icon on the map and a notification for the driver.
• Both companies say drivers only get a temporary, anonymous alert. Personal details about the cyclist are not shown in Waze.
• Alerts stop when the cyclist ends the ride on the Garmin device.
• The feature is rolling out globally on Android and iOS Waze apps.
• Garmin notes LiveTrack itself remains a free feature for compatible devices when used with a compatible smartphone and the Garmin Connect app.

Garmin quotes Susan Lyman on raising awareness between cyclists and motorists. Waze VP and GM Gai Berkovich frames the alerts as a heads-up so drivers can slow down and share the road.

Why everyday drivers and riders should care

If you drive with Waze on neighborhood streets, a quiet bike rider is easy to miss until the last second. An in-app reminder is not a substitute for looking up from the phone, but it is a useful nudge when traffic, parked cars, and headphones already steal attention.

If you ride with a Garmin computer or watch, the value is optional visibility to strangers who already use Waze, without turning your ride into a named public track. That is a different job from LiveTrack’s original audience of family and friends.

This also fits the broader habit of putting safety cues into apps people already open every day, similar in spirit to accessibility-minded product updates we cover when they help people get around, such as Waymo’s UK accessibility network. Different product, same idea: design for the people who share the road.

How to use it on your own devices

If you drive with Waze

1. Update Waze on your iPhone or Android phone from the official app store.
2. Keep Waze navigation running as you usually do. Watch for a nearby-cyclist notification and map icon when the rollout reaches you.
3. Treat the alert as a reason to slow down and scan the curb, not as permission to keep staring at the screen.

If you ride with Garmin

1. Confirm your Edge computer or smartwatch supports LiveTrack with the Garmin Connect phone app.
2. In Garmin Connect, opt in to share LiveTrack with Waze for outdoor cycling when you want drivers to see you.
3. Start the ride on the Garmin device as you normally would. End the activity when you are done so Waze alerts stop.
4. If you only want friends following you, leave the Waze sharing option off. LiveTrack’s older family-and-friends use remains separate from this driver alert path.

Garmin’s footnote is worth reading: LiveTrack needs a compatible smartphone and the Connect app. Do not assume every older Garmin unit is included.

Do this / don’t do that

Do

• Update Waze and, for riders, review the LiveTrack / Waze sharing toggle in Garmin Connect.
• Keep the alert anonymous and temporary: end the ride when you stop.
• Read Waze’s post and Garmin’s release if you want the official wording.

Don’t

• Do not treat an in-app cyclist icon as a guarantee every rider nearby is visible. Only opted-in Garmin LiveTrack sessions participate.
• Do not share LiveTrack with Waze if you are uncomfortable with nearby drivers seeing a temporary bike icon near you.
• Do not invent exact device model lists beyond what Garmin publishes for LiveTrack compatibility.

Bottom line

On November 10, 2026, Waze and Garmin started rolling out opt-in Live Cycling Alerts so drivers can get temporary, anonymous warnings about nearby Garmin cyclists on Android and iOS. On your own phone or bike computer: update the apps, opt in only if you want the visibility, and still look at the road.

Image: Official Garmin newsroom photo for the Waze collaboration, cropped to the street scene.