17-05-2025
Warning for all Google Maps users to act before Sunday ahead of 'deadline'
A warning has been issued to ALL Google users as data is deleted from accounts in HOURS unless they act now. Google Maps has a Timeline feature - previously known as Location History - which keeps a record of any you've been to via the app.
"This is a reminder that Timeline is changing," Google said in a recent warning email, as it sets a Sunday deadline. "Now, if you choose to keep Timeline on, all of your devices will save new visits on their own Timelines - including any devices that previously had Location History reporting turned off.
"Because of these changes, you need to choose new settings to avoid losing Timeline data." Open Google Maps on your Android device and tap the You tab at the bottom of the app, then choose Explore Timeline.
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Tap Next on the card that pops up alerting you of the change, choose how many months worth of Timeline data you want to keep on your device, and choose if you want to continue sending user data to Google.
Then tap Done. You can automatically back up your Timeline if you need to switch devices. When you back up your Timeline data, it saves an encrypted copy of your data on Google's servers.
It can take a few days for changes to your Timeline to reflect in a backup. Generally, data will be moved to your device within a couple of hours. However, if you moved your data when your device had poor network connection or low battery, it can take up to a few days for your data to appear.
Go to Activity controls and check your auto-delete setting, which determines how much data is moved to your device. If you moved your data to your device and selected auto-delete activity older than 3 months, 18 months or 36 months, any data beyond that time period has been deleted and can't be recovered.
