Google Maps Timeline is a visible illustration displaying your newest journeys with Google Maps within the background
In case you are not conversant in Google Maps Timeline, it’s a function that reveals customers their previous location historical past. Contemplate it a private map displaying the journeys you made, the locations you’ve got been to, and the routes you took to get to every place. You may have to have your cellphone’s Location Historical past enabled for the Timeline to seize this details about your travels.


Enabling Backups to your Google Maps Timeline. | Picture credit-PhoneArena
Some Redditors mentioned that with the backup they had been solely capable of restore the final couple of weeks of Timeline knowledge. Others had been capable of have their whole Timeline knowledge returned to them. And should you assume that nobody cares about their Timeline knowledge, you would be very improper. One person mentioned that he by no means received round to enabling backups and now 15 years of Timeline knowledge is gone which he calls devastating.
“We briefly skilled a technical concern that precipitated the deletion of Timeline knowledge for some folks. We’re reaching out as your account might have been impacted. When you’ve got encrypted backups enabled, you could possibly restore your knowledge. Be sure to have the most recent model of Google Maps, then go to your Timeline. Faucet the cloud icon close to the highest of your display screen, and select a backup to import your knowledge. In case you didn’t have backups turned on, sadly you won’t be able to get well misplaced knowledge. We perceive that this may be irritating should you use Timeline to recollect locations you’ve got visited, and we’re taking steps to enhance our techniques for the longer term. The Timeline Crew”-Electronic mail from Google
One other Timeline person known as Google’s e mail “a non-apology” and “a joke.” He began accumulating knowledge on-device in December, 5 months earlier than his deadline of Might. Nevertheless, as he famous on his social media put up, Google deleted his knowledge from their servers instantly after switching to accumulating his private Timeline knowledge on system. He wrote, “How have they managed to delete knowledge saved on my cellphone? This sucks a lot and is regarding given how a lot I depend on different Google merchandise. Stunning mistake to make after which simply say ‘oopsie.'”
One other Timeline person has an analogous story and an analogous response to the lack of his knowledge. He wrote, “Heartbreaking stuff to be trustworthy. I suppose I did not have backups enabled. I do not know even I do know I needed to allow it particularly, when every little thing else is fortunately backed up from the Pixel. That is 10+ years of journeys gone. What a serious cockup.”
Comply with these instructions to allow Backups of your Timeline knowledge
In case you’re involved about having your Timeline knowledge deleted accidentally whether or not by you or Google, you may wish to allow Timeline knowledge backups as a result of they don’t seem to be created by default. Google says that whereas your main Timeline knowledge will likely be saved in your system, your visits and routes will likely be backed as much as Google servers over Wi-Fi when your cellphone is charging and is idle. The Timeline storage would not rely in opposition to your account storage limits and it’s encrypted.
In case you do not wish to threat shedding your Timeline knowledge and are safe with the information being saved on Google’s servers (encrypted after all), observe these instructions beneath:
To activate Backup open Google Maps in your Android or iOS cellphone and faucet the profile icon together with your image or initials on the higher proper facet of the display screen. Faucet on “Your timeline” and the cloud icon on the higher proper facet of the display screen to the proper of the “Timeline” heading. That takes you to the Backup web page the place you will see a toggle to activate Backups. Comply with the instructions.