PSA: Google will kill your Timeline historical past quickly, however you continue to have time to put it aside (Replace: Deletion deadline particulars)

Replace, November 14, 2024 (12:53 PM ET): Confused about how a lot time you may have left to maneuver your Timeline knowledge over to your cellphone? You’re not alone, and it turns on the market’s an excellent purpose for why everybody appears to have a special reply. Google explains in a press release to Android Authority:

As we shared in our weblog submit, this replace is rolling out step by step. This implies individuals will see completely different deletion deadlines, roughly six months from once they have been first notified about this alteration to their account.

Due to that, completely different Maps customers are going to have completely different cutoff dates for when they should make this alteration or danger dropping their historic knowledge. On one other of our accounts, as an example, we’re taking a look at a December 8 deadline. Whereas we’re solely speaking about variations by a matter of weeks right here, you’re completely going to need dig by way of your emails and confirm the date that applies to you.

Unique article, November 13, 2024 (06:48 AM ET): Google introduced a serious change to its Timeline location historical past characteristic in December 2023. This variation will see Google Maps saving your location historical past on-device after years of storing it within the cloud. Now, it seems to be just like the deadline for this alteration is quick approaching.

Android Authority colleague Adamya Sharma just lately obtained an electronic mail from Google notifying her that these Timeline modifications will happen from November 19. This differs from a beforehand reported December 1 date, though it looks as if individuals are getting differing dates to start with. Take a look at the screenshots under.

What occurs should you take no motion after your deadline, although? Google says it’ll attempt to export your final 90 days of Timeline knowledge to the primary signed-in machine you employ after the deadline. Nevertheless, any Timeline knowledge older than 90 days will probably be deleted. The corporate says it’ll additionally hold saving your new location historical past to your present machine.

Tips on how to hold your Timeline location historical past

Wish to save your location historical past? Google’s electronic mail has a hyperlink that allows you to select to both hold Timeline knowledge till you determine to delete it or auto-delete knowledge after three months (verify the screenshot under). Nevertheless, some individuals have chosen the previous possibility and reported that their Timeline knowledge has been deleted anyway. That looks as if an enormous bug on Google’s half.

So, it’s extremely advisable that you simply first export your Timeline knowledge utilizing Google Takeout to make sure you have a backup of your location historical past. To do that, go to takeout.google.com, untick every little thing however Location Historical past (Timeline), and then select Subsequent step > Create export. It additionally seems to be like Google is slowly rolling out a button to export your timeline knowledge from particular person units, which will probably be accessible by way of Settings > Location > Location providers > Timeline. However this solely appears to use to Timeline knowledge on that particular machine relatively than your total Timeline historical past.

It’s value stressing that this revised method to location historical past will finally kill Timeline entry on the internet. Moreover, your Timeline will now successfully be distinctive to every machine.