I received an email from Google this week, which took the form of a warning that if I wanted to keep my Timeline data, what used to be known as location history, then I must act before May 18, 2025. Failing to choose the correct privacy settings, and possibly update Google Maps in the process, will mean that all saved visit and route data will be deleted. Here’s what you need to know and do.
Google Location History Changes To Timeline And The Clock Is Ticking To Save Your Data
Visit what used to be known as your location history at Google, you know, that feature that created a map of all the places you had visited and routes taken, but is now Google Timeline, and you’ll be greeted with a data deletion warning popup. f you ignore that warning, and the one Google will have either sent you by way of an email or will do shortly, any visits and routes data you have stored will be deleted on May 18, 2025. That’s six months away, sure, but time flies, and I recommend sorting out your location privacy settings now to avoid any problems later.
I would also recommend clicking that learn more button as it will take you to a Google support page explaining everything you need to know. The most important thing being that if you have previously configured your location history, or timeline, to being active then things are changing as the automatic map of your visits and routes will be created on your device. This is a good privacy move, of course, but failing to update your settings as instructed by Google will see all saved data deleted on May 18, 2025. This isn’t the first time that Google has issued a warning about data deletions if actions are not taken before a specific date, as Gmail users will likely recall.
According to an email I received on Nov. 19 from Google, the smartphone that is signed into my Google account saves all visits and routes automatically to a map when the Timeline setting is on. Something I had previously configured for this particular account. However, the Google email said that “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.”
What You Need To Do To Save Your Google Location Data
Google has made it easy to determine how you want to proceed, with the disclaimer that you need to do this before that six-month time limit expires, as after that, your saved location data will all be gone. Timeline for web browsers is going away, Google said, but you can move your saved routes and visits by downloading the Google Maps app to your smartphone. This does require an up-to-date version of that Google Maps app, “otherwise, you may lose data and access to your Timeline on Google Maps,” Google said. You will be able to edit or delete your visits and routes in Google Maps Timeline on your device.
The important thing is to choose your Timeline settings on your preferred smartphone before May 18, “If you take no action, your visits and routes will be deleted, and your Timeline settings will be turned off after 18 May 2025.” Before the cut-off date, however, Google said that your devices will keep saving Timeline data and Google will continue to use that data “based on how Location History works today.”
