Google Maps is widely used for navigation, finding businesses, checking routes and exploring unfamiliar places. But the app can also maintain a record of places a user has visited through its Timeline feature when the relevant settings are enabled.
Timeline can be useful if you want to look back at a previous journey, remember a restaurant you visited or check places you travelled to on a particular day. However, some users may prefer not to retain this type of location information for privacy reasons.
According to the supplied information, Google Maps provides controls that allow users to manage Timeline, stop future location-history activity from being saved and remove previously stored information.
Here's what users should know about these privacy settings.
What Is Google Maps Timeline?
Google Maps Timeline uses location information from a device to create a record of places and journeys associated with the user.
Depending on the relevant settings, this can allow someone to look back later and see places they visited on a particular date or during a previous trip.
For some users, this can be a convenient feature. For others, keeping a long-term record of visited locations may raise privacy concerns.
Users who do not want this information retained can review the Timeline controls available in Google Maps.
Google Has Changed How Timeline Data Is Stored
According to the supplied report, Google has made changes to the way Timeline information is stored, moving towards keeping Timeline data directly on users' devices.
Despite these changes, users still have controls for managing Timeline and related location-history settings.
This means users can decide whether they want to continue using the feature, stop future history from being saved or remove older information.
The exact wording and placement of individual settings may differ depending on the device, app version or account configuration.
How to Turn Off Location History in Google Maps
According to the steps provided in the source, users who don't want Google Maps to continue saving future Timeline information can review the setting from within the app.
Follow these steps:
- Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone.
- Tap your profile picture displayed beside the search bar.
- Select Your Timeline.
- Once Timeline opens, tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner.
- Open Location and privacy settings.
- Look for the relevant Timeline setting.
- Select Turn off to disable future location-history saving.
The purpose of this option is to prevent future Timeline location history from continuing to be saved under the relevant setting.
Users should review the confirmation screen carefully before completing any change so they understand exactly what will happen to their data.
Want to Delete Previously Saved Location History Too?
Turning off future Timeline activity and deleting information that has already been stored are not necessarily the same action.
According to the source, users who want to stop the feature and also remove previously saved activity can use the “Turn off and delete activity” option.
This can begin the process of disabling the relevant location-history setting while also removing existing activity.
Before deleting information, users should review what is being removed, particularly if they rely on Timeline to remember previous journeys or locations.
Don't Want to Disable Timeline? Try Auto-Delete
Some people may find Timeline useful but may not want years of older location information to remain available.
For those users, the report highlights an Auto-delete option.
Instead of completely disabling Timeline, users can configure older location information to be deleted automatically after a selected period.
According to the supplied information, available periods may include:
- Data older than 3 months
- Data older than 18 months
- Data older than 36 months
This approach can allow users to continue using Timeline while limiting how long older information is retained.
It also reduces the need to manually delete older activity repeatedly.
Check Timeline Settings on Your Other Devices
If you use Google Maps across more than one smartphone or tablet, it may also be worth reviewing the settings on those devices.
The supplied report notes that Timeline-related settings can differ depending on the device.
Users who have changed the setting on one smartphone should therefore not automatically assume that every other device they use has an identical configuration.
The same settings area may also provide options for deleting information for a particular period or exporting Timeline data, depending on the available configuration.
Review Your Google Maps Privacy Settings Regularly
Google Maps Timeline can be useful for remembering journeys and previously visited places, but not everyone wants this information retained.
Users concerned about privacy can review Your Timeline → Location and privacy settings and choose the option that best matches their preferences.
You can turn off future Timeline history, remove previously stored activity or use Auto-delete to periodically clear older information.
Most importantly, turning off Timeline should not be confused with disabling every possible use of location on a smartphone. Device-level location permissions and other Google services can have their own separate settings. Users who want broader control over location access should review those permissions separately as well.
