Google Maps has been able to keep track of where you go for some time. Called Location History, this feature would show you a map of where you’ve been using your location data. According to a new report, the Google Maps on-device Timeline history is rolling out.
As neat as Location History is, it sounds like a privacy nightmare! The app is keeping a record of where you’ve been, and not many people know it. What makes this worse is the fact that the data needs to be saved in the cloud so that you can access it on more than one device. So, any person who’s cautious about their data will have an issue with this.
The Google Maps on-device Timeline history is making it to more people
We’ve known that Location History’s days were numbered for some time. The company announced that it was making a change last year. Instead of getting rid of the feature altogether, Google decided to replace it with another. The new feature is simply called “Timeline”, and it will still do the same thing as the older iteration. You’ll still see a map of all the locations you go each day.
On the Timeline, you’ll see a blue line indicating where you traveled. You can flip through each day to see where you traveled to on a day-by-day basis. The feature will also show you how far you’ve traveled in a given time span, the cities you’ve visited, etc. If you’re interested in knowing what places you’ve traveled, then you might like this feature.
The beauty of Timeline is that it’s all on your device. You don’t have to worry about Google storing your data on its servers. That’s great for people who want to keep track of their data.
However, it’s important to know that, since your data is stored on your phone, you won’t be able to access it across multiple devices. All of your data will be device-specific. You’ll need to keep that in mind if you plan to change devices. You’ll get a backup and transfer option so you can preserve your data. When transferring your data, Google will encrypt it and upload it to the cloud where you can download it to your new device.
How to access the feature
Google has started rolling this out, so you might not get it for some time. You’ll want to wait a few days for it to make it to your device. To access it, open Google Maps, tap on your profile picture, and tap on the Your Timeline button. You’ll see a new splash page telling you about the feature. You’ll access the feature on both Android and iOS.
One thing to note is that you’ll have the option to either have Google keep your data or delete it after some time. You’ll need to decide before June 2025. At that point, any location data over three months old will be deleted.
