Latest news with #Timeline
Engadget
a day ago
- Automotive
- Engadget
Google Maps falsely told drivers in Germany that roads across the country were closed
Chaos ensued on German roads this week after Google Maps wrongly informed drivers that highways throughout the country were closed during a busy holiday. Many of the apparently closed roads were located near large German cities and metropolitan areas, including Berlin, Düsseldorf and Dortmund. As reported by a locally based journalist for The Guardian , drivers opening Google's navigation app would see a swarm of red dots used to indicate no-go areas, which resulted in people looking for alternative routes that caused traffic pile-ups nationwide. The Guardian also reported that police and local authorities were contacted by people confused (and presumably pretty annoyed) about the supposed standstill. To compound the issue, the Google Maps error coincided with the beginning of Germany's Ascension Day public holiday on May 29, which meant the roads were even busier than usual. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The problem reportedly only lasted for a few hours and by Thursday afternoon only genuine road closures were being displayed. It's not clear whether Google Maps had just malfunctioned, or if something more nefarious was to blame. "The information in Google Maps comes from a variety of sources. Information such as locations, street names, boundaries, traffic data, and road networks comes from a combination of third-party providers, public sources, and user input," a spokesperson for Google told German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost , adding that it is internally reviewing the problem. "In general, these sources provide a strong foundation for comprehensive and up-to-date maps." Technical issues with Google Maps are not uncommon. Back in March, users were reporting that their Timeline — which keeps track of all the places you've visited before for future reference — had been wiped, with Google later confirming that some people had indeed had their data deleted, and in some cases, would not be able to recover it.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
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. READ MORE: UK faces 550-mile wall of rain but nine counties in England will be spared READ MORE: UK households who own a green bin face £5,000 fine 'and criminal record' READ MORE UK faces 550-mile wall of rain but nine counties in England will be spared 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.
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Forbes
Google Is Deleting All Your Location Data—Do Not Miss Deadline
How to check your deadline. Google has been tracking your location history in Google Maps, storing that data in its cloud. A year ago, I reported that this is coming to an end. 'Location History can give you more personalized experiences across Google, such as place recommendations, based on where you've been,' the company tells users. But tracking is tracking. And so in a change to what's now called Timeline, Google confirmed 'your Timeline will be saved right on your device — giving you even more control over your data.' And that means deleting all that Timeline data from its cloud, ensuring that it only exists on your phone — that's a good, welcome move. There is some confusion though. Originally, it seemed that this change would kick in on December 1, but then Google confirmed it would happen gradually. Some reports have selected specific dates as to when the delete button will be hit. That's not the case, albeit many will have the same date. But it's an easy assumption to make, given the gradual rollout is not mentioned in the notifications sent out. Pick your timeline It does seem that May 18 has been selected as a date for many users, even though Google clarified 'this update is rolling out gradually… people will see different deletion deadlines, approximately six months from when they were first notified about this change to their account.' That means 180-days before your cloud data is deleted. But this clarification has been widely and understandably missed. You can check your own date by going to your account settings in Google Maps, then tapping Timeline. You can select how long you want to save Timeline data. Either 18 months or until you choose to delete it. That moves data to your phone and triggers the cloud deletion. If you don't pick an option, all your data will delete on the date shown. This update has been complicated by some accidental data deletions along the way. But it's a good move — you don't want this data being stored in anyone's cloud, it's the type of sensitive information you want solely within the encrypted enclave on your device. There's no need to wait until the date. Make the change now.
The Sun
17-05-2025
- The Sun
Urgent warning to all Google users as precious data is deleted from accounts in HOURS unless they act now
GOOGLE users have just hours to check their accounts or face losing some data forever. And it's especially worthwhile if you've ever used Google Maps and want to remember key places visited in the past. 1 Google Maps has a Timeline feature - previously known as Location History - which keeps a record of any you've been to via the app. The tool is especially handy for remembering special spots, such as where you met a partner or a fancy restaurant you once visited. And it's also useful for keeping track of places you've visited on holiday in years gone by. Google has been warning users for sometime that changes are coming soon. The tech giant is moving things around so data is kept on-device instead of in the cloud. Failure to act will result in users losing this past data. That deadline is now just about here, set for Sunday (May 18). "This is a reminder that Timeline is changing," Google said in a recent warning email. "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." Protect your bank accounts: Enable Google's identity check today Save your Timeline data Open Google Maps on your Android device and tap the You tab at the bottom of the app. Choose Explore Timeline. 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. Choose if you want to continue sending user data to Google. Tap Done.
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Urgent warning to all Google users as precious data is deleted from accounts in HOURS unless they act now
Find out how to save yours in less than 30 seconds below GOOG-BYE! Urgent warning to all Google users as precious data is deleted from accounts in HOURS unless they act now Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GOOGLE users have just hours to check their accounts or face losing some data forever. And it's especially worthwhile if you've ever used Google Maps and want to remember key places visited in the past. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Google has been sending multiple warning emails to users Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun Google Maps has a Timeline feature - previously known as Location History - which keeps a record of any you've been to via the app. The tool is especially handy for remembering special spots, such as where you met a partner or a fancy restaurant you once visited. And it's also useful for keeping track of places you've visited on holiday in years gone by. Google has been warning users for sometime that changes are coming soon. The tech giant is moving things around so data is kept on-device instead of in the cloud. Failure to act will result in users losing this past data. That deadline is now just about here, set for Sunday (May 18). "This is a reminder that Timeline is changing," Google said in a recent warning email. "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." Protect your bank accounts: Enable Google's identity check today Save your Timeline data
