Google Maps Erases Your Complete Location Past. Follow These Steps to Preserve It
Google Maps has recently made changes to its Timeline feature, affecting the storage of historical location data. Here's a breakdown of the updates and what users need to do to secure their data.
Starting from December 2023, Google began saving location history to users' individual devices instead of the cloud. This shift aims to provide a more personalised experience, as the data will now be device-specific, showing up for the device a user logs in to instead of the Google account.
In response to these changes, Google Maps is erasing data older than three months. To avoid data loss, users must manually transfer their Timeline data by May 2025. Google has provided instructions in emails to help users preserve their location history.
The deadline for this change remains ambiguous, with some emails mentioning November 19 and others December 1. Google recommends users to closely review their settings before selecting them to ensure the desired amount of data is kept.
It's worth noting that Google has not verified any instances where their settings didn't work as intended. However, there have been reports of users' data being accidentally deleted despite following Google's instructions.
To backup their location history, users can utilise Google Takeout. By selecting only "Location History (Timeline)" and leaving everything else unchecked, users can download their data for safekeeping.
Google also provides an option for users to choose between keeping data until deletion or automatic deletion after three months. This choice can be made via the link provided in the email.
The data deletion update is still rolling out gradually, with different deletion deadlines for different users. It's crucial for users to stay informed and complete the transfer of their data before May 2025 to securely keep their location history beyond the shortened retention period.
This story was updated on 11/15/2024 with clarifications from Google about the different deletion deadlines. Users are advised to check their emails for the most accurate information regarding their specific deletion deadline.
In a recent update on 11/15/2024, Google also clarified that users selecting to keep data until deletion but still having everything erased is a rare occurrence. They encourage users to reach out to Google support if they encounter any issues.
In summary, Google Maps' Timeline feature saves visits and routes for revisiting, but with the recent updates, users must take action to secure their location history. By following the provided instructions and staying informed, users can ensure their data is safely stored.
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