How to turn off your Google Maps location history
Google Maps can track and store everywhere users travel through its Timeline feature, but this tracking can be easily disabled through the app's settings. Google has also shifted to storing this data locally on devices rather than automatically in the cloud.
Google Maps includes a feature called Timeline that logs a user's location history over time, which can be useful for recalling places visited long ago, such as a forgotten restaurant. However, many users find the constant background tracking unsettling, especially given the risk that such detailed personal data could be misused if accessed by others.
Notably, Google has changed how this data is handled, moving from cloud storage to keeping Timeline data locally on the user's device by default, unless the user chooses to create a manual backup.
Steps to disable it
Users can turn off Timeline entirely through Google's account activity settings online, but since the data originates from and is viewable only on the phone, it's recommended to make changes directly within the mobile app. This involves opening Google Maps, tapping the profile icon, selecting "Your timeline," then accessing "Location and privacy settings" through the three-dot menu, and choosing "Timeline."
From there, users can either turn off the feature while keeping past data intact, or turn it off and delete all historical activity at once. An auto-delete option is also available, allowing data older than three, 18, or 36 months to be removed automatically. Additional settings let users manage encrypted backups, export their Timeline data, or delete a specific date range. Since these settings are tied to individual devices, users with multiple devices running Maps need to repeat the process on each one.
