Google Maps’ Timeline feature is a great way to look back on your past travels—if you have the data to look back on.
Timeline users over the past couple of weeks have noticed that their data is missing, with no warning or explanation. Redditor srj737 posted on the r/GooglePixel subreddit earlier this month, reporting they lost over a decade of Timeline data, seemingly out of nowhere. Before, they could browse each location they visited with Google Maps over the past ten years; now, they had to start from scratch.
What makes the situation especially confusing is the fact that Google had previously warned users they might lose Timeline data. The company announced late last year that it would be transferring Timeline functionality away from the web , and onto individual mobile devices. If you didn’t move your Timeline data in time, Google warned you could lose it forever.
However, that deadline appears to be June of this year, not March, so it wouldn’t have made much sense for that to be the reason behind this deletion.
Google did accidentally delete the data
Google has since responded to these concerns, however. The company confirmed to The Verge that they had accidentally erased Timeline data for some users:
We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people. Nearly everyone with encrypted Timeline backups will be able to restore their data; unfortunately those who did not have backups enabled will not be able to recover lost data.
Google appears to be actively reaching out to affected users, so keep an eye out for an email from the company with instructions on retrieving your data—if you can.
Redditor srj737 was able to retrieve their data, once Google acknowledged the situation. They had tried restoring from their backup before to no avail, but following Google’s email, the backup worked. It’s possible Google made some changes on their end to fix the feature in general, which includes both saved data as well as backup restoring, but that can’t be confirmed at this time.
It’s a crummy situation, but it’s a good reminder of the trust we put in tech companies to manage our data. Google is so huge, it makes it seem like anything you share with them will be preserved forever. However, all it takes is a technical issue on the company’s end to lose your data forever. Today, it’s Timeline data; tomorrow, it could be your photos. It’s tricky with dedicated cloud-based features, but whenever you have the option, backing up to a source other than the cloud is the most secure way to preserve your data.
How to recover your lost Timeline data
Unfortunately, the only way to restore this deleted Timeline data is if you had previously made a backup of that data through Google Maps. If so, Google’s instructions say to update to the latest version of Google Maps, open your Timeline, then tap the cloud icon that appears at the top of the screen. From here, you should be able to select a backup to restore your Timeline data from.
If you don’t see a backup option here, it likely means you never made a Timeline backup, and, sadly, your data is lost forever.
How to export your Google Maps Timeline data
If you do still have your Timeline data, or you start building it back up again, and you want to make a more secure backup than relying on Google’s services, you can manually export your data, as shared by Redditor saharaci .
To do so on Pixel, then go to Settings > Location > Location Services > Timeline > Export timeline data. On iPhone, go through the Google Maps app. Tap your profile, head to Your timeline, then tap the three dots in the top right. Here, tap Location & privacy settings, choose Export Timeline data, then pick a destination for your data.
