How to View and Delete Your Google Location History (Timeline)

Google Maps keeps a meticulous record of almost everywhere you go. Historically known as “Location History,” this feature is now called Your Timeline. It allows you to look back at past vacations, remember the name of that restaurant you visited three years ago, or track your daily commute.

However, many users find this level of tracking unsettling. Furthermore, Google recently made a massive change to how this data is stored: Timeline data is now saved locally on your phone, not in the cloud. This means you can no longer view your Timeline on a desktop computer.

Here is exactly how to view, manage, auto-delete, or completely disable your Google Location History using the new on-device system.

How to View Your Timeline (Mobile Only)

Because Google moved Timeline data off its servers to improve user privacy, the desktop web version of Timeline has been officially shut down. You must use the Google Maps app on the specific smartphone you carry with you.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or Android device.
2. Tap your Profile Picture (or initial) in the top right corner.
3. Select Your Timeline.

From this screen, you can navigate by Day, Trips, Insights, or Places. Selecting “Day” allows you to swipe through a calendar to see exactly where you traveled, including the routes you took and how long you stayed at each location.

How to Delete Specific Locations or Days

If you want to remove a specific trip or stop from your record without deleting your entire history, you can edit your Timeline manually.

1. Inside the Your Timeline screen, tap the Day tab.
2. Navigate to the specific day you want to edit.
3. To delete a single stop: Tap on the location in the list, tap the three dots (More menu), and select Remove.
4. To delete the entire day: Tap the three dots (More menu) in the top right corner of the screen and select Delete day.

How to Set Up Auto-Delete

By default, when you enable Timeline, Google sets it to automatically delete data older than 3 months. You can change this to hold data longer, or turn auto-delete off entirely.

1. Inside Your Timeline, tap the three dots in the top right corner.
2. Select Location & privacy settings.
3. Scroll down to the Location settings section and tap Automatically delete Location History.
4. Choose your preferred timeframe: 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. Any data older than your selection will be permanently erased.

How to Turn Off Location History Entirely

If you do not want Google Maps recording your movements at all, you can pause the feature. Note that this will break features like predictive commuting routes and personalized restaurant recommendations.

1. Go to Your Timeline > Three Dots Menu > Location & privacy settings.
2. Under Location settings, tap Location History is on.
3. Tap the Turn off button.
4. A warning screen will appear explaining what will happen. Scroll to the bottom and tap Pause.

Crucial: Enable Encrypted Backups

Because your Timeline is now stored locally on your phone, if you lose your phone or buy a new one, you will lose your entire Timeline history.

To prevent this, you must enable backups:

1. Go to Your Timeline.
2. Tap the cloud icon in the top right corner.
3. Toggle Backup to the ON position.

Google will create an end-to-end encrypted backup of your Timeline in the cloud. Google cannot read this data, but it allows you to safely import your location history when you purchase a new device.