Can I get a ticket for using a map app while driving? CA just updated its rules
Picture this: You’re stopped at a red light when you decide to alter your route.
Are you legally allowed to check Google Maps on your smartphone? Or do you risk getting a ticket for using a map app?
In June, California updated its rules about what you can — and can’t — do with a cell phone while on the road.
Here’s what to know:
Are you allowed to use a map app while driving in California?
In California, it’s illegal to drive a motor vehicle while holding and using your cell phone.
That includes talking and texting while behind the wheel — even if you’re waiting at a stop sign.
The state of California has placed legal restrictions on handheld phone use while driving since 2008, according to San Diego law firm Berman and Riedel.
However, there’s a new wrinkle.
In early June, the California Courts of Appeal ruled that it’s illegal to hold a phone to look at a map on the screen, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
Simply glancing at the navigation application with your phone in hand is enough to get you pulled over, according to the ruling from the Sixth District Court of Appeal.
“Allowing a driver to hold a phone and view a mapping application, even if not touching the phone’s screen, would be contrary to the Legislature’s intent,” the state appeals court said in its ruling.
“Many drivers believed they were still allowed to hold their phone — as long as they weren’t actively texting or talking,” Southern California law firm Bojat Law Group said on its website? “That loophole is now closed.”
How did California driving laws change?
As a result of the ruling, drivers caught holding their phones to use a navigation app, change music or checking their texts can get ticketed in California.
According to Bakersfield law firm Chain, Cohn and Clark, the following actions are now considered illegal in California:
- Holding your phone for any reason while driving, including for navigation, entertainment checking notifications
- Manipulating, touching or swiping your phone while it’s not mounted
- Looking at your phone screen while holding it, even if you’re not actively using it
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, you’re allowed to touch your phone while driving if it’s mounted to your windshield or center console in “a manner that does not hinder the driver’s view of the road.”
“While driving, you can single-swipe or tap the screen while it is in the mount in order to activate or deactivate a feature or function,” the state agency said.
However, this doesn’t mean you can make “multiple taps or swipes such as texting or scrolling,” the state Office of Traffic Safety said.
What are the penalties for breaking state law?
Holding your phone while driving is considered an infraction in California, meaning that drivers caught doing that won’t be charged with a crime or face any punishment beyond fines, according to the Best Online Traffic School.
If police catch you driving with your phone in your hand, you can face a base fine of $20 dollars for the first offense, Bojat Law Group said. The fine increases to $50 for subsequent offenses, the law firm said.
Can I legally use my phone while driving?
In California, you’re not allowed to drive while using a phone unless it’s “specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation.”
The following is still allowed while driving, according to Chain, Cohn and Clark:
- Using a phone mounted on your dashboard or windshield
- Operating your phone with a single tap or swipe while its mounted
- Using voice commands or hands-free features
Can drivers under 18 use phones behind the wheel?
California’s Vehicle Code prohibits drivers under age 18 from using cell phones while driving “for any reason,” according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
“The youngest and most inexperienced drivers are most at risk when driving distracted,” the state Office of Traffic Safety said. “All functions of a phone can be distracting: using an app, shuffling through music or playing videos, looking at social media, maps or photos.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Can I get a ticket for using a map app while driving? CA just updated its rules."
