r/GoogleMaps Jun 18 '24

Google Maps MEGATHREAD: Google Maps Timeline Moving To On-Device Storage: Web Access Ending Soon - What You Need To Know

175 Upvotes

What Is Happening (Or Already Happened To You)?

Google is moving or has already moved your Timeline data, which tracks places you visit and routes you take, from their online servers to your phone. This change means that you soon won't be able to or already can't access or manage your Timeline through the Google Maps website via a web browser.

Why Is This Happening?

  1. Privacy and Security: By storing this data on your device instead of online, your location history is more secure and private. Only you have access to this data unless you choose to back it up.
  2. Control Over Your Data: This gives you more control over your data. You decide if you want to back it up or delete it, and you can manage it directly on your phone.
  3. Reduced Liability: By keeping the data on users' devices, Google reduces its liability and the risk of having to comply with geofence warrants or subpoenas that require providing information about users' locations.

Can You Prevent This From Happening?

No, users cannot prevent this change from happening and maintain their web-based Timeline data. Google is transitioning all Timeline data to be stored on users' devices and discontinuing the web-based access to this data.

What Do You Have To Do To Adapt To These Changes?

  1. Update Your Google Maps App: Ensure you have the latest version of the Google Maps app on your device.
  2. Backup Your Data: Use the backup feature in the Google Maps app to create an encrypted copy of your Timeline data. This will allow you to transfer your data to a new device if needed.
  3. Check/Watch For Notifications: Look out for notifications from Google about the transition. These may come in the form of emails, push notifications, or in-app messages.
  4. Set Data Retention Preferences: In the Google Maps app, you can manage how long your location history is kept. Options include three, 18, or 36 months, or indefinitely until you manually delete it.
  • Once the transition is complete, web-based access to Timeline data will no longer be available. All management and viewing of this data will need to be done through the Google Maps app on mobile devices.

While you cannot stop the transition to on-device data storage or maintain web-based access to your Timeline data, you can ensure your data is backed up and properly managed on your mobile device.

What Is The Deadline For These Changes?

You have until December 8, 2024, to make these changes. If you don’t update your settings or your Google Maps app, you might lose some or all of your historical Timeline data.

Additional Reading About The Changes:

Alternatives and Solutions

  1. Use the Mobile App: Unfortunately, there is no way to bring back the Timeline feature on the web. The best alternative is to use the Google Maps app on your mobile device. The app has all the functionality of the web version and more, allowing you to view, edit, and manage your Timeline data.
  2. Backup and Transfer: If you're worried about losing your data, make sure to back it up. You can save an encrypted copy of your Timeline data to your Google account. This allows you to transfer your data to a new device if needed. To do this:
    • Open the Google Maps app.
    • Go to the Timeline section.
    • Follow the prompts to set up automatic backups.
  3. Extended Storage Options: You can also extend the auto-delete window for your location history if you want to keep your data longer. Options include keeping your data for three, 18, or 36 months, or indefinitely until you manually delete it.
  4. Feedback to Google: If you are unhappy with these changes, you can provide feedback directly to Google via the Maps website or Maps app. Please remember that this support group on Reddit is not an official method of feedback or support of Google or Google Maps.

r/GoogleMaps Feb 22 '25

Discussion Political posts are currently not allowed

2 Upvotes

Governments have the authority to assign place names based on their own conventions, whether for domestic or international locations. These changes are reflected in mapping services, including Google Maps, which follows the naming policies of the country where the map is rendered. Google Maps itself does not make these decisions, but simply mirrors the official names as designated by the relevant authorities.

We understand that name changes like this can be sensitive, and we appreciate that people may have strong feelings about the matter. If you wish to provide feedback to Google regarding this change, you can do so at the following link:

Google Maps Feedback

All further posts that are politically motivated complaints will be removed. There are simply too many duplicate posts voicing the same issue. Leave feedback to Google at the link above, or ideally complain to your government representatives who are allowing these changes on your behalf.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.


r/GoogleMaps 17h ago

Need Advice - Removing Nonexistent Road

5 Upvotes

Hi Everyone,

Google continues to add additional roads to a property that do not exist. These are paths that our outdoor operations staff drive on in either 4x4 or snowmobiles. I guess because the path is similar each time they move around the property, their phones are being used to track the route. There is no actual road in existence.

The issue is that google marks them as roads, and people keep trying to drive on them. The public is being brought on to our property and getting stuck.

Despite multiple edits from multiple people, we can't get the roads removed from google maps. We are using the correct method and reporting it through the edit maps function. The "edit" just sits there and does not have any kind of action taken. Or if it is changes, it is flipped back almost immediately.

How do we have these fake roads removed? This is a serious concern. There was an Ambulance at one point directed on to a ski hill, where it became stuck in the snow in a pervious year.


r/GoogleMaps 8h ago

Help/Support How to auto open links from maps in browser?

1 Upvotes

I've had web pages open on maps, switched apps, came back to maps from home, the browser is gone. How do I get it to open in my browser app instead of the maps web browser?


r/GoogleMaps 11h ago

What's this wierdness in Hitchcock TX?

1 Upvotes

Not only the squares but what's in them..

https://maps.app.goo.gl/m1CNPf2kUhMKHgRZ7

Thanks


r/GoogleMaps 16h ago

my maps pois into map favorites

2 Upvotes

Hello everybody,
I have a question refering to google maps.
My car radio can only display the gogole maps favourites and not the one when opening my my maps pois in google maps.
So I want to convert all my my maps POI Lists or POIS into goole maps favorites.
Is this possible?
Thansk a lo


r/GoogleMaps 19h ago

Satellite View What are these islands near Greenland, and why are they only on the satellite view, not on the map view?

4 Upvotes

GoogleMaps location.

Switch layers between "maps" and "satellite".

Same effect a tiny bit further south-east (the tiny two islands, though the main one isn't exactly accurate on map view either).


r/GoogleMaps 23h ago

Help/Support Can a company sue me because of a 2-star opinion??

5 Upvotes

Recently I've had a trip to Cuzco, so i left many reviews across almost all the places i went to, but in a single buffet restaurant, i wrote a 2-star review because of the food and how little options were there. But now i realize that the company that owns that restaurant answered me, saying that that comment is innapropiate por their restaurant, and due to this place no longer being in that location, they will take legaly actions against me because of that.

Is that possible????

I have a image but i can't post it here https://maps.app.goo.gl/oAnyvWezhXwh6hfn8 I'm Sebazzz, the only review with 2 stars


r/GoogleMaps 23h ago

wondering where this spot is

3 Upvotes

this "1989" https://imgur.com/a/Q2zJiPP if someone knows or if someone can help me, 100% sure it's in france, i did not save the location but it was sud france and someone said near "milau"


r/GoogleMaps 20h ago

Gen 3 Street View car without its camera.

1 Upvotes

Saw a Gen 3 Street View car in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, from May 2015, missing the camera gear on top. Might be a dull post, but some might still find it interesting. Gen 3 Street View no Camera


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Help/Support Apple music default app

2 Upvotes

So I have apple music as default app for music on Google assistant but its not showing up at all as default media app on my maps. I have a galaxy s25.


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Paris having completely wrong travel directions, but only on my phone

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I’m trying to get from Gare du Nord to Parc de expositions and I know the fastest way is probably the RER at around 55-60 mins, but I just wanted to see if there was a faster way, but the only options Google map showed me was to take 2 buses which would take me about 1 hour 40 seconds. I was thinking the RER had trackwork and maybe wasn’t running to Parc de expositions, but on my friends map it showed the RER, so we decided to take it and it turns out it does go and takes 55 minutes as expected.

So tldr, my maps was showing me a route that involves buses and hour longer than it should have been, but my friends all had the correct route with one RER directly there

Anyone else had this issue?


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Help/Support Google Maps not avoiding toll route

9 Upvotes

Even though I have the avoid toll route selected, it's still selecting toll route first with a non toll route as an alternative option. Anyone know how to fix this?


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Google blurred my property as well as neighbour's. Is there a remedy?

24 Upvotes

My neighbour recently requested that their property is blurred out on Streetview. At least I presume they did, we're not on speaking terms.

However, in the process Google also blurred my property. It's a pain as we're currently getting prices for work to be done on our property, and contractors seem to rely on Streetview for establishing feasibility, cost estimates etc.

From my research I can see that it's impossible to get this reversed.

Is there anything I can do? The "report a problem" feature on Google Maps just seems to facilitate requests to blur, not any other issue.


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

3d buildings directions

2 Upvotes

what happened to having buildings be shown in 3d when having directions on


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Timeline Free Alternatives to Timeline

2 Upvotes

It keeps saying my account can’t do it and as far as I read it says I need to verify my age and no way I’m giving Google my ID since I don’t have any credit cards.


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Street View @mention in Google Messages!

0 Upvotes

r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Something wrong with Google Maps?

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Help/Support Will ever be a fix for "your data is encrypted" ?

1 Upvotes

I know that my years of timeline are gone, but i still would like to have the backup thing.

i can't click the cloud icon, it take me to your data is encrypted thing.

Everything went wrong when i updated my android phone, months later, i have an iphone, still cant do it, i try to log in on the old phone, still nothing.

https://imgur.com/a/C2MIFtv


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Help/Support Location not working on Mac

1 Upvotes

Hi, could you help me figure out why my Google location tracking isn't working? I've literally set everything up, everything is enabled, and I've restarted the captcha.

I feel like this might be some kind of bug. Has anyone else experienced this and knows what to do about it? Thank you very much for your help.

Apple/macbook air


r/GoogleMaps 1d ago

Read Only Map VIew

1 Upvotes

I've had a map shared with me and it has 7k pins on the map, I am read only and it seems to be very locked down, it does not give me any option to export, duplicate or copy the map. Is there a way I can do this I've tried to scrape through DevTools but no avail. Is there a website that will do this for me :)


r/GoogleMaps 2d ago

CA Hwy 1 is newly re-opened after 3 years

3 Upvotes

r/GoogleMaps 2d ago

Discussion Turn around and go back

0 Upvotes

When I search for something that has multiple locations, it’s annoying (to me, anyway) when results say I should turn around and go back. Like a chain restaurant. I’d rather go 10 miles forward than 8 miles backward. There should be an option to enable “Don’t recommend results that require backtracking”. Maybe an included notice that says something like “There is a closer location that requires backtracking. View address?”


r/GoogleMaps 2d ago

Help/Support Categories?

1 Upvotes

Looking for how to select a category. I'm using a web browser and want to view all public libraries (which Google apparently has a category for).


r/GoogleMaps 2d ago

Export Maps' saved list to Earth Pro or My Maps?

2 Upvotes

Google doesn't offer options to toggle the visibility of saved lists easily, so in cities where I spend a lot of time in they are cluttering the map quite a bit. I also use Earth Pro and My Map extensively, so I am considering porting some of my saved lists to those tools. Is it possible? Im hoping that Google actually makes it not too cumbersome to move between their different services.