How to view Google Maps location history

It’s no longer a secret that Google tracks you in the background. The Timeline feature takes advantage of this and gives you a way to review your location history.

The important thing to note is that you need to turn on the location history of your Google account to use this feature. By enabling location history, you can see countries, cities, and other places like restaurants, shopping malls, etc. that you’ve been to in the past.

To check if you have your location history enabled, follow these steps:

  1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile icon or letter in the top right.
  2. Select your data in Maps from the menu that opens.
  3. If you see the word On under Location History, it means that you have activated it. Otherwise, tap Off and Google will take you to a page where you can tap Turn on to turn it back on.

How to view location history on Google Maps

If you currently have your location history enabled, or have deleted your past data to protect your privacy in Google Maps , there will be nothing on your timeline.

However, you may still see some location history data if you have some other settings enabled, such as “Web and app activity.” Our tips on troubleshooting Google Maps on Android should be helpful if you’re having trouble with the app.

How to view Google Maps timeline

Otherwise, though, here’s where you’ve been in the Google Maps app:

  1. Inside Google Maps, tap your profile icon or letter in the top right.
  2. Select Your Timeline from the pop-up menu. Google takes a few seconds to load the timeline page.
  3. The Timeline screen displays today’s location history at the bottom by default. This provides additional information such as how you got to a specific location, how much time you spent commuting, and an estimate of your time in an area. Tap Today to select a specific date in the past.
  4. If you want to see your past trips, select the trips tab above. Google will show you how many trips you’ve taken, how long they took, and in what month and year.
  5. The Places tab displays specific places you’ve been to in categories like shopping, hotels, attractions, and more. You can also go to the Cities and World tab to see the cities and countries you have traveled to in the past.

How to view location history on Google Maps

Tip: In the day tab, nearby places you’ve visited in the past are shown as different colored dots on the map. Each color refers to the type of activity performed at the site.

The amount of data in your Google Maps location history depends on how long the location history feature has been enabled in your account. If you’ve set your account to automatically delete your history, or if you’ve recently chosen to immediately delete your location data in Google Maps , the data will be much less.

Learn more about using the app in Google Maps tips to make you a pro.

Track your location history on Google Maps

Google Maps Timeline is a great way to see where you’ve been in the past and on what day. The program presents data in an easy-to-understand manner. Additionally, it adds richer details such as the routes you took to a location and an estimate of how long you spent at a location.

While some may ignore this feature or disable it due to privacy concerns, there is no denying its importance. If you care more about privacy, you can still use this feature and instruct Google to delete your data after three, 18 or 36 months.

Source: MAKEUSEOF.COM