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Important Changes to Google Maps Timeline: What You Need to Know

Google Maps Timeline serves as a personal record, detailing locations visited on specific dates or within certain months. This feature utilizes your travel data to enhance the recommendations for restaurants and attractions, refining the accuracy of estimated arrival times (ETAs) and providing personalized route suggestions based on your historical travel behavior.

Recently, Google informed users about upcoming modifications to the Timeline feature, specifying that individuals have until June 9th to adjust their settings. Failing to make the necessary adjustments will result in the loss of past travel data, including routes and locations logged by the Timeline. The company is shifting the storage of Timeline information from its servers directly to users’ devices. As a result, users will need to make key decisions regarding the retention of their Timeline data.

The new settings will give users the option to retain their data indefinitely or to have it automatically deleted after set periods of three months, 18 months, or 36 months. Additionally, users must choose whether to disable the Timeline feature altogether, which would lead to the permanent deletion of recorded routes and visits, or to keep it active. The move to local device storage is part of an effort to enhance data security.

It’s also important to note that those who use the Google Opinion Rewards app—which offers cash or Play Store credits in exchange for completing surveys—may see their Timeline data influencing the types of surveys presented. Google is seeking user consent for the utilization of this data to tailor survey queries more closely to individuals’ preferences.

To activate the Google Maps Timeline, users must ensure that their Location History is enabled, and they should be running the latest version of the Google Maps application. For iPhone users, tap here to download the most recent version. Android users can click here for the latest update.

While some may view Timeline as an intrusive aspect of Google’s data collection practices, it’s worth considering the functionality it provides. By retaining historical route information, Google Maps can offer personalized navigation, potentially leading to more efficient travel paths to desired destinations.

Source
www.phonearena.com