Abstract

• Google Maps Timeline knowledge has vanished for some individuals after current replace.
• Google has contacted the affected customers and restoration could also be attainable.
• Timeline now shops knowledge domestically by default slightly than on the cloud, so that you may not have a backup.

In the event you use Google Maps Timeline to report your travels, you need to test your account instantly—Google could have unintentionally deleted all of your location knowledge. Whilst you could possibly get better the information, it is not assured.

Timeline Information Vanished Earlier This Month

Timeline is a function in Google Maps that, in the event you give it permission, information the place you go and the routes you’re taking. It is useful for numerous causes, like monitoring distance traveled or jogging your reminiscence about previous journeys. It is nice for knowledge nerds who, for instance, wish to know what number of instances they’ve visited a selected place.

Earlier this month, some Timeline customers seen that their historical past had vanished with out warning, with no apparent sample as to who was impacted. The issue appeared to be tied to a Google Maps replace on March 7, 2025, with the introduction of an “Import for Timeline Information” function. On the time, many assumed this was a short lived bug and the information could be restored.

Now, Google has acknowledged the problem and contacted these impacted. Sadly, it is not excellent news for everybody. On Reddit, person sweepernosweeping reported receiving the next e mail from Google:

We briefly skilled a technical concern that brought about the deletion of Timeline knowledge for some individuals. We’re reaching out as your account could have been impacted.

You probably have encrypted backups enabled, you could possibly restore your knowledge. […] In the event you didn’t have backups turned on, sadly you will be unable to get better misplaced knowledge.

We perceive that this may be irritating in the event you use Timeline to recollect locations that you have visited, and we’re taking steps to enhance our techniques for the long run.

In the event you’ve misplaced your Timeline knowledge and wish to restore from a backup, faucet your profile image within the top-right of the Google Maps app, choose “Your Timeline”, then faucet the cloud icon. Right here you will note your backups. Faucet the three dots subsequent to the one you want to restore and choose “Import.”

This solely works in the event you had the information backed up within the first place—even then, some customers on Reddit say that restoring from backup hasn’t solved the issue.

In an announcement to Android Authority, Google mentioned:

We briefly skilled a technical concern that brought about the deletion of Timeline knowledge for some individuals. Almost everybody with encrypted Timeline backups will have the ability to restore their knowledge; sadly those that didn’t have backups enabled will be unable to get better misplaced knowledge.

The phrase “almost everybody” seemingly confirms that the backups aren’t a assured resolution, which is a significant fumble on Google’s half.

Timeline Information Is Saved Regionally by Default

This all comes on the again of adjustments that started final 12 months, with Google transferring knowledge from being tied to your account within the cloud to being saved domestically in your gadget. It is why you possibly can’t entry your Timeline knowledge on the net anymore.

Whilst you can nonetheless allow encrypted cloud backups, it is not enabled by default. This implies in the event you hadn’t turned the backups on and your Timeline knowledge has disappeared, you are seemingly out of luck—although in the event you use Timeline on a number of units, it is price checking these to see if there’s something to get better.

Supply: Android Authority