Here’s how to manage your Google Maps location history on Android.

Last year, Google announced major changes to how it handles location history. Instead of backing up your location history to servers in the cloud by default, Google now lets you save your location history locally on your Android or iOS device with an option to enable end-to-end encrypted cloud backup. Announced. Ahead of Google Maps retiring Timeline access on the web later this year, Google is currently rolling out a new Timeline menu on Android that lets you view, export, and delete your location history on your device.

If you enabled Location History on your Android phone a few years ago, you can revisit places you’ve been by tracing your memories through Google Maps on Android or the web. When Location History is enabled, your Android device periodically uploads its location to Google. Google stores that data and displays it in an orderly timeline on Maps. (As a reminder, you don’t need to turn on Location History to use Location Services on Android.)

While it’s fun to view timeline data and see where you’ve been, it’s a little scary to know that law enforcement may have collected that data when executing so-called “geofencing warrants.” There is also. That’s why, according to forbesGoogle has decided not only to shorten the storage period of Location History data, but also to encrypt that data and move it to end users’ devices.

As part of an update to move location history data to devices, Google is introducing new features. timeline bottom menu Settings > Location > Location Services (The path to access location services settings may vary depending on your device.) Timeline is the name of a feature in Google Maps that lets you revisit places you’ve been. This is an older feature that previously relied on location history stored in the cloud.

However, now that data is stored on your device, Google provides controls to export or back up your data so you can switch devices without losing your location history. Google also provides an option to delete your timeline data in case you don’t want it saved, and also provides shortcuts to toggle and view your timeline.

Here’s a list of Android’s new timeline menu settings:

• The timeline is [off|on]
  • View and change activity control settings
• Show timeline
  • No visits or routes saved on this device | X visits and routes saved on this device since Y
• Export timeline data
  • Download a copy of Visits and Routes from this device
• Deleting timeline data
  • Delete visits and routes from this device
• backup
  • Save an encrypted copy of your timeline to your account

For security reasons, authentication is required to export timeline data. Data is exported as a single .JSON file.

Deleting your Timeline will remove all visits and routes stored on your device, but Google warns that you may need to delete Timeline data stored on other devices or in your backups. I am. Additionally, if Location History is enabled after you delete timeline data from a device, each device will continue to save new visits and routes.

Google is currently rolling out this new Timeline menu to some Android users, but not everyone we asked has taken advantage of it yet. The menu is part of the Google Play Services app and may require you to flip a server-side flag to display it. If you have any new timeline settings, let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks to Petro on Discord for the tip!