Act Fast…! Your Google Map History Will be Deleted Soon
Google map that saves your journey and routes information in the feature called Timeline will soon delete every visited history older than 90 days.
Yes, as mentioned in the incoming emails sent by Google, from 19th November it will delete your old location history that recently (December 2023) started being saved on your device instead of cloud storage. Some emails have also mentioned December 1st as the deadline.
However, you can prevent it from happening, but you have to act fast…!
Why is Google Deleting Your Past Trip Adventures
The major reason for this decision is to improve user privacy by reducing the quantity of individual data it retains. The tech giant believes that to achieve this successfully, it is better to store timeline data locally in the user’s device instead of in the cloud.
Method to Save Google Timeline Data from Being Erased
To keep your map history saved, follow these steps carefully;
➤ Update Your Google Maps: Ensure you have the latest version of the Google Maps application.
➤ Access Your Timeline: Open the application and click on your profile icon in the top right corner. Tap “Your Timeline” from the dialog box.
➤ Manage Location History: Click on the three-dot icon at the top of the timeline screen. Select “Settings and privacy”
➤ Adjust Deletion Settings: Choose how long you want to keep your location history from the following options;
✦ Keep until manually deleted
✦ Auto delete after 3 months
✦ Auto-delete after 18 months
✦ Auto-delete after 36 months
➤ Create an Archive: If you want additional safety, go to takeout.google.com and deselect all options other than Location History. You can export it to download anytime.
Is Google Map History Deletion a Crucial Step Towards Data Privacy?
Google deleting map history older than 90 days to signify its changing approach in managing timeline data. Therefore, users like us need to take proactive steps before it’s too late. The deadline is approaching, let’s react fast and follow the guidelines to save your past adventures’ memories.