So private, even you don't have the data Oops: Google says it might have deleted your Maps Timeline data Google Maps switched to local-only Timeline storage in December. Ryan Whitwam Mar 24, 2025 12:56 pm | 18 POLAND - 2020/03/23: In this photo illustration a Google Maps logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images / SOPA Images / Contributor POLAND - 2020/03/23: In this photo illustration a Google Maps logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images / SOPA Images / Contributor Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe Google Maps Timeline has long been a useful though slightly uncomfortable feature that maintains a complete record of everywhere your phone goes (and probably you with it). Google recently changed the way it stored timeline data to improve privacy, but the company now confirms that a "technical issue" resulted in many users losing their timeline history altogether, and there might not be any way to recover it.Timeline, previously known as Location History, is very useful if you need to figure out where you were on a particular day or if you just can't remember where you found that neat bar on your last vacation. Many Google users grew quite fond of having access to that data. However, Google had access to it, too. Starting in 2024, Google transitioned to storing Timeline data only on the user's individual smartphone instead of backing it up to the cloud. You can probably see where this is going.Users started piping up over the past several weeks, posting on the Google support forums, Reddit, and other social media that their treasured Timeline data had gone missing. Google has been investigating the problem, and the news isn't good. In an email sent out over the weekend, Google confirmed what many already feared: Maps has accidentally deleted Timeline data on countless devices.A Google spokesperson confirmed this is the result of a technical issue and not user error or an intentional change. It's unclear how this happened, but we'd wager on a botched Maps update. Google usually rolls out updates in waves, and it's possible that the defective build in this case made it to a large number of devices before it was stopped.You have exactly one possible fix for this issue, but only if you planned ahead. When Google began the full change-over to local storage of Timeline data, it added several settings to control the feature. While the data is stored locally by default, you have the option of creating encrypted backups in the cloud. If you did that, you should be able to restore the data. Google's email alert, along with the location of Google's backup button. Credit: Google Google's email alert, along with the location of Google's backup button. Credit: Google To check for backed-up Timeline data, open Maps and go to the Timeline section. There should be a cloud icon at the top with an arrowif it's a cloud with a line through it, you're out of luck. Tapping the enabled icon should let you download a backup of your data. According to Google, if you did not have encrypted backups enabled, the data is gone forever.To cloud or not to cloud?Google has taken a more cautious approach to storing location data in recent years. The changes to Maps date back to 2023, when the company announced it would no longer log certain types of data, including visits to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, and more. Moving Timeline off of its servers and onto individual devices in late 2024 would theoretically protect user privacy if Google were forced to hand over account data to law enforcement.However, there are reasons we keep things in the cloud. For one, they're more accessible. When Google transitioned Timeline data to on-device, users lost the ability to view their location history on the web. More importantly, it's harder to lose data when it's backed up on a server that Google manages. It's good that Google still supports a secure backup option, but it's not on by default. Again, that's understandable, given the aim of improving privacy, but a lot of people are wishing the backups were automatic today.Many longtime Maps users have expressed genuine sorrow over losing years of data to this glitch. Some say they believed they had encrypted backups enabled, only to find they had no data to restore. This is probably a good time to check your Maps settings if you, too, have vast swaths of historic location data living only on your phone.Ryan WhitwamSenior Technology ReporterRyan WhitwamSenior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he's written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards. 18 Comments

OpenAI's COO, Brad Lightcap, has been given additional responsibilities. STR/Getty Images 2025-03-25T05:39:03Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? OpenAI expanded Brad Lightcap's role to oversee day-to-day operations and global deployment.Lightcap, previously CFO, joined OpenAI in 2018 and worked with Sam Altman at Y Combinator.OpenAI faces leadership changes amid a $500 billion AI venture with SoftBank and Oracle.OpenAI is expanding chief operating officer Brad Lightcap's role to oversee the company's day-to-day operations."Brad and I have worked together for the past 9 years," OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, wrote in a company blog post on Monday. "What he has done so far at OpenAI is extraordinary and I look forward to much more in this expanded role."Lightcap will also head the company's global deployment, including partnerships and infrastructure, the post said. Late last year, San Francisco-based OpenAI announced it would open offices in New York City, Seattle, Paris, Brussels, and Singapore, in addition to existing locations in London, Dublin, and Tokyo.Lightcap's expanded role was announced along with two other leadership changes: Mark Chen was assigned more responsibility in his chief research officer role, and Julia Villagra was named chief people officer.OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.Lightcap joined the artificial intelligence company in 2018 and was previously the chief financial officer. Before OpenAI, he worked with Altman at startup accelerator Y Combinator.Last year, the OpenAI COO said that large language models and AI chatbots would be capable of "more complex work" in a short period of time."In the next couple of 12 months, I think the systems that we use today will be laughably bad," Lightcap said in May at the Milken Institute Global Conference. "We think we're going to move toward a world where they're much more capable."Like Altman, Lightcap has also said that he prefers a flat leadership style,"The really really good ideas come from unexpected places on the team, not from like the most experienced end of the team," he said on an episode of the 20VC podcast last April. "My advice is: Find a way to make sure that there's this very flat, very even playing field."The responsibility changes at the company follow a series of leadership shake-ups at the ChatGPT maker.Last year, chief technological officer Mira Murati and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever announced their departures. Jan Leike, who co-led OpenAI's superalignment group a team that focuses on making its AI systems align with human interests left the company for Anthropic last May.OpenAI is involved in a $500 billion AI joint venture called Stargate with SoftBank, Oracle, and other investors. The project, announced by President Donald Trump in January, aims to invest in AI infrastructure in the US over the next four years.

Zanette Francis moved to Koh Samui, Thailand nine years ago. Zanette Francis 2025-03-25T05:27:14Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? It's been nine years since Zanette Francis left the UK and moved to Koh Samui, Thailand.After many vacations in Thailand, she saw it as the ideal place to raise her now 13-year-old daughter.The slower pace of life on the island has been a welcome change.For nearly two decades, my now ex-husband and I made frequent trips from the UK to Thailand, always drawn to the charm of Koh Samui. But it wasn't until we had our daughter that we decided to relocate permanently.In the UK, we lived in a typical suburban family home with a garden. We could walk to our daughter'sWe moved to Samui nine years ago. WeThe tropical weather in Samui solidified our decision. Tropical weather was one factor that drew Francis to Samui. Zanette Francis Career and life changesMy ex-husband sold his business in the UK, and we moved to Samui in October 2016. Before arriving, we had purchased a small resort. It was one of the first places we had ever stayed in on Samui during a previous visit to the island. When we saw it was for sale, we put in a cheeky offer. We got it.We didn't take it on to make heaps of money we saw it more as a lifestyle change. We lived on-site in one of the resort's seven villas.But I got a bit bored. After 18 months of working at the resort, I decided to return to real estate. Since then, I've been focused on selling luxury villas on the island.Villas in Samui have been getting more buzz since the third season of "The White Lotus" came out. My friends in real estate have been talking to me about "The White Lotus effect," noticing more Americans booking beachfront villas. But I think it's a bit early to judge how much the show will impact real estate sales.My husband and I separated, but we still own the resort and have managed to maintain an amicable relationship. The resort is up for sale. We both have new partners.Island lifeAdjusting to life in Thailand presented a few challenges, although the language barrier wasn't as big a deal as I had imagined. Samui, being a popular tourist destination, has a large expat community and many locals who speak English.Certain foods from Europe things like French cheeses and wine are much more expensive here due to import taxes. They can often be double or triple the price of what I'd pay back home.The majority of tourists tend to stick to Chaweng Beach, Lamai Beach, and Bophut Beach, where most of the resorts and nightlife are concentrated. The Four Seasons Koh Samui, where scenes of "The White Lotus" were filmed, is an exception, as it's in its own quiet little bay.There is also an influx of party-goers passing through Samui on their way to the nearby Ko Pha-ngan island for the famous Full Moon parties, which was featured in an episode of "The White Lotus."The atmosphere on Samui itself remains surprisingly relaxed.The slower pace of life in Samui has been a welcome change from the hustle of the UK. There is no rush to get anywhere. I find myself spending much more time in nature, soaking up the sun and the natural beauty of the island. The beaches, the warm weather, and the community-oriented way of life have made it a perfect place to raise a child.Healthcare is very good, too, and more private hospitals have opened over the years. While I have to pay for private insurance, I feel well-covered and safe. Francis says Koh Samui feels like home. Zanette Francis Real estate on the islandSamui has everything from little bungalows to multimillion-dollar villas for sale.I live in Bophut, about five minutes from the popular area of Fisherman's Village on the northern coast of Samui. I own a three-bedroom garden villa with a private pool.The real estate industry in Samui has grown significantly, especially since the pandemic. More families, particularly younger ones, have moved to the island, many of them attracted by the lifestyle changes it offers.The rise of remote work has made Samui even more appealing to expats, with families settling here long-term. The demand for properties has increased, and over the years, more international schools have opened to accommodate the growing expat community.Looking ahead, I can't see us leaving anytime soon. My daughter, now 13, is settled in her international school, and my plan is for her to finish here. That means at least five more years.For now, Koh Samui feels like home.

inZOI, KRAFTONs life simulation game and definitely-not-a-competitor-to-The-Sims, is launching in just a couple of days, generating excitement among fans of the genre eager for an alternative to Electronic Arts titles. However, not everyone is pleased, as recent findings suggest the game might include the infamous Denuvo DRM, and even worse, it could be doing so without proper disclosure potentially violating the law in certain regions.KRAFTONBrought to light by lukaself, a moderator of the Denuvo Games group and curator on Steam, the IP of the demo inZOI: Creative Studio, released several days ago, was found attempting to connect to srv01.codefusion.technology, a domain associated with and owned by Denuvo.While unsavory for many, the alleged use of Denuvo wouldnt be as notable if not for the fact that no DRM of any kind is mentioned on inZOIs Steam page, in the games Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, or in its update history on SteamDB. This means that if Denuvo is indeed present, by not disclosing it, inZOI could potentially be breaking the law in certain regions, such as California and its AB-2426, highlighted by lukaself.That said, its important to emphasize that until the full game is released, theres no definitive proof that Denuvo is actually woven into its code. While the evidence strongly suggests its presence, this could also be a case similar to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where Denuvo appeared only in review builds and was absent from the final version. lukaself reassured that once the team has examined the full games files, they will post an announcement on Denuvo Games with their final verdict.Dont forget to join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post KRAFTONs Life Simulator inZOI Appears to Feature Undisclosed Denuvo appeared first on CG SHARES.

With inZOIs early access release just three days away, KRAFTONs upcoming life simulator made with Unreal Engine 5 has officially become the most wishlisted game on Steam, beating other long-awaited titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong, which was on the first spot for a long time, Deadlock, and Elden Ring: Nightreign.On March 20, the developer released a demo inZOI: Creative Studio, which allows players to try out the games Zoi customization and construction. This seems to have contributed to the growing hype and helped the game climb from No.4 on the chart just a week ago to the top.SteamDBRight before the release of the demo, a showcase event was held with Game Director Kim Hyung-jun, who got the idea of life sim inspired by his son, giving lots of information about the games development and the early access version, including a post-launch content roadmap with tons of new features coming, such as new city, family photo, motion capture, driving features et cetera, $39.99 price tag accompanied with free DLC and updates and more. With inZOI, we hope players can experience things beyond reality, gain a sense of control over their lives and take a step back to reflect on life itself, Kim saidAlthough the game director and the development team do not see inZOI as a competitor to The Sims series, especially Sims 4, its quite difficult to take these two games apart, and the comparison is everywhere.For example, on online forums like Reddit, a user tried to create a male character in both games, with the usage of custom content in Sims 4, as they admitted. When asked which one the players preferred, the responses are unsurprisingly overwhelmingly favored inZOI, even though it is still in Early Access, while Sims 4 couldnt achieve similar results without custom content.Have you tried the Creative Studio demo and wishlisted the game? Let us know. Also, join our 80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post inZOI Topped Steams Most-Wishlisted Chart appeared first on CG SHARES.

Dune: Awakening, Funcom's upcoming survival MMO set in an alternate version of author Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi universe, will buck the trend of many survival games by not launching in an early-access state when it arrives for PC on May 20. Nor will it have any kind of subscription fee, as some MMOs do.Creative director Joel Bylos delivered the news in a recent video, diving into Funcom's post-launch plans for the sci-fi survival game. "The key things that you need to know about Dune: Awakening's launch are that it will not launch in early access and it will not have a monthly subscription," Bylos said. "It will receive regular free updates, including new content, new features, and quality-of-life improvements."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Juan Soto hopped on the subway and swapped one New York borough for another to become the highest-paid player in baseball. The Japanese phenom, Roki Sasaki, reunited with the growing list of his compatriots in Dodgers blue, making the World Series champions an even more formidable outfit. Corbin Burnes headed to the Arizona desert, the Cubs swung a trade for Kyle Tucker, and the Red Sox beefed up their rotation by acquiring ace Garrett Crotchet. It was an offseason of typical upheaval that even saw the Oakland Athletics leave their 57-year-old home for a temporary stay in Sacramento. But as the weather warms and spring training draws to a close, the return of the MLB season is just a few days away, which can only mean it's also time for the newest iteration of MLB The Show. While last year's game was one of minor iterations, MLB The Show 25 takes a few steps in the right direction by introducing a few long overdue changes to modes like Road to the Show and Franchise.Road to the Show (RTTS) has grown stale over the past couple of years, with little to no improvements and an irritating connection to the card-collecting mode, Diamond Dynasty. This isn't the case in The Show 25, as it severs that link and completely overhauls the opening few hours of your career with the addition of amateur baseball. Now, you begin your journey to the Major Leagues as a fresh-faced high school student. By playing well in the three available games, potentially winning a high school championship, and showcasing your talents at the MLB combine, you'll garner interest from both MLB teams and the eight different college programs included in the game, such as Vanderbilt, LSU, UCLA, and Texas. You can opt to sign with an MLB team straight out of high school as an 18-year-old--like previous years' games--or head to college for four years to further improve your attributes and, ideally, increase your draft stock.Each college has a rating from one to five stars in "exposure," which impacts your draft status and rating among scouts, and "skill development," which determines how many upgrade tokens you'll earn to improve your ballplayer. Once you've chosen a college that fits your needs, the game fast-forwards to your senior year as you prepare to compete in the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Depending on the outcome of each game, you can potentially play in all four on the way to winning the national championship, which will significantly boost your standing in the draft if you also play well enough. After signing for an MLB team, you can expect to be fast-tracked through the minor leagues, as opposed to spending more time in AA and AAA if you decided to skip college, so there are some impactful choices to consider.Continue Reading at GameSpot