Summary
- Google has confirmed the recent loss of Timeline data from the Maps app due to technical issues.
- Thankfully, users will be able to get the data back, provided they have backed it up beforehand.
- Unaffected users are encouraged to enable backups for Timeline history in the Google Maps app to prevent loss of data.
The Timeline section in Google Maps gives you a snapshot of the places you’ve visited over the years. Naturally, many Maps users have years of Timeline data attached to their accounts. But people were in for a shock earlier this month as they found years of Timeline data disappearing into the void. It was speculated at the time that this may have been a bug, and Google has now acknowledged the entire fiasco in an email to affected users. But it’s not all good news.
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As pointed out by Reddit user sweepernosweeping, Google emailed them saying that a “technical issue” led to the vanishing of the Timeline data (via Android Authority). Here’s the Timeline Team’s full email sent to this user, along with several others who were affected:
We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people. We’re reaching out as your account may have been impacted.
If you have encrypted backups enabled, you may be able to restore your data. Make sure that you have the latest version of Google Maps, then go to your Timeline. Tap the cloud icon near the top of your screen, and choose a backup to import your data. If you did not have backups turned on, unfortunately you will not be able to recover lost data.
We understand that this can be frustrating if you use Timeline to remember places that you’ve visited, and we are taking steps to improve our systems for the future.
The big takeaway here is the fact that users wouldn’t be able to recover the Timeline data lost earlier this month if they didn’t have backup enabled. Since the encrypted backups toggle is not enabled by default, users who haven’t done so manually cannot get it back. This, for some, means losing years of tracked Timeline data.
A look at the comments under the Reddit post reveals the extent of issues users have faced following the disappearance of Timeline data from Google Maps. While trying to restore from a backup appears to do the trick for several users, some have found that even this didn’t help, with one claiming to have gotten back the Timeline from the last few weeks but nothing before that.
Count yourself lucky if you were unaffected
Thankfully, if you’ve been unaffected by the disappearance of the Timeline data, there are steps you can take now to make sure there’s always a backup on your device or account going forward. First things first, find Your Timeline in the app’s account switcher (profile avatar), accessible from the top right of the screen.
If encrypted backup is enabled, you will see a cloud icon in the top right, as seen in the screenshot above. If the backup isn’t enabled, the cloud icon will be slashed out, subtly nudging users to enable it. The Backup screen contains a solitary toggle and any available backups listed under Your backups.
This comes after Google notified Maps users in December about moving Timeline backups from the cloud to a more privacy-oriented on-device system. At the same time, Google set a shutdown date for Timeline on the web. Considering the events that have transpired since then, it’s safe to say that the situation could’ve been handled better.
We await more clarifications from the Maps and Timeline teams on this issue over the next few days. I didn’t get an email from Google (presumably because I wasn’t affected), and all my Timeline data appears intact.
