Google Maps deletes location history from user accounts due to technical issues

There's some bad news for Google Maps users. The popular Timeline data, formerly known as Location History, may have been deleted from your account.

• Google still tracks your location even when Location History is turned off

Timeline helps you remember routes and trips you've taken

The Timeline feature is extremely handy, especially if you use Google Maps a lot. It provides a personal map that helps you remember routes and trips you've taken, along with places you've used on your daily calendar.

This feature can help you remember where you were on a certain day or the exact route you took to avoid accidents.

Since the data is obviously sensitive, Google has stopped storing it in the cloud and in 2024, will start storing it only on your smartphone.

But recently, some users took to social media to ask why their Timeline data seemed to have disappeared. Over the weekend, Google confirmed the worst – data had been accidentally deleted from some devices.

A Google spokesperson confirmed that the data deletion was due to a technical issue and not some kind of intentional change or user error, Ars Technica reported.

You can restore Timeline data

In an email sent to users over the weekend, Google explained why the data was deleted. And they provided a way to restore the data, if you had encrypted backups enabled.

To do this, make sure you’re running the latest version of Google Maps. Tap your profile picture, then Timeline, and select the cloud icon near the top-right corner of the screen. You can then choose a backup to import your data from. If you see a cloud icon with a line over it, that means there’s no encrypted backup to use and the data will be lost forever.

Encrypted backups aren't enabled by default, so it's likely that many people won't be able to restore data back to their devices.

Never get lost with Google Maps

While Timeline data has been removed for many, Google Maps still offers one of the best ways to navigate wherever you go. There are some features you might not know about in Google Maps, like location sharing, helpful suggestions, and the ability to save essential items.

You can also use some great Google Maps extensions to add features to the service so you can track fuel costs, optimize routes, and more.

Google is also working hard to remove fake business listings from Maps . The company has sued a fraud network that was behind tens of thousands of fraudulent listings on Maps. Still, there are some ways you can spot fake businesses when using Google Maps.