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