Status bar not showing open “Waze” app after iOS update 17.2.1 download.

I’m not sure what you mean here. The iPhone status bar doesn’t show open apps, some apps will hide the status bar, and the thing that usually shows recent (maybe open, or maybe not) apps is the app switcher.

If you are having issues with a particular app, remove the app, force-restart the iPhone, re-download the app, and try again. If that fails, contact Waze support: Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

It was always on the status bar on my iPhone. It was no longer there.

I went to my location services for Waze and it was set on “always”. I changed it back to while using the app. The blue arrow is back.

ashlie154 wrote:

It was always on the status bar on my iPhone. It was no longer there.

I went to my location services for Waze and it was set on “always”. I changed it back to while using the app. The blue arrow is back.

It’s still not a reliable means of switching apps.

App Switcher (mentioned above) is going to be much more reliable about which app you end up in.

That blue arrow is location services.

Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support

It’s not a particularly reliable means to switch apps.

Particularly if the app doesn’t happen to ask for your location.

Slide up from the bottom to invoke the App Switcher, as an alternative.