Science and technology: paired smartphones leave their mark

Even if the following driver data cannot be read easily, you must ensure that it is deleted before returning the vehicle, ADAC advises.

Because auto-deletion procedures have only partially provided so far to car rental companies or car share providers. The most practical way to delete is to reset the infotainment system of the car in question to factory settings. You shouldn’t be discouraged: Depending on the car model, you have to dig deep into the settings menu to find this function. But it is almost always there.

According to ADAC, those who don’t find what they’re looking for should at least call the “smartphone unpair” function, which is usually easy to find in the menus. Destination addresses entered into the navigation device can usually also be deleted individually. And if you have used an application installed in the infotainment system, for example for streaming music, then you should not forget to log out of the respective service.

According to the information, consumers who only care about being able to reach them over the phone when outside the home can simply refuse to transfer data to the car’s infotainment system. Corresponding authorization queries appear on the smartphone screen once the smartphone is paired with the car.