Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has despatched an e-mail to some customers saying that it by chance deleted Google Maps Timeline knowledge.
- The e-mail was solely despatched out to affected customers, however urges them to revive their knowledge from a backup.
- Sadly, you’re out of luck when you didn’t have Timeline backups enabled.
Replace: March 22, 2025 (11:30 AM ET): Google has issued a press release to Android Authority, confirming {that a} technical challenge resulted in Timeline knowledge being deleted for some customers. The assertion certainly notes that folks with Timeline backups enabled ought to have the ability to restore their knowledge, however there’s unhealthy information when you didn’t have backups enabled to start with.
Take a look at the total assertion from Google beneath:
We briefly skilled a technical challenge that triggered the deletion of Timeline knowledge for some individuals. Practically everybody with encrypted Timeline backups will have the ability to restore their knowledge; sadly those that didn’t have backups enabled will be unable to recuperate misplaced knowledge.
That’s a disappointing flip of occasions when you worth this characteristic. It additionally comes within the wake of Timeline knowledge disappearing for some customers when Google moved from cloud-based storage of this knowledge to on-device storage.
Unique article: March 22, 2025 (12:52 AM ET): Google just lately modified the best way the Timeline characteristic works in Google Maps, transitioning to on-device storage of your earlier actions. Sadly, some customers reported earlier this month that their Timeline knowledge vanished altogether. Now, Google has apparently issued an e-mail to affected individuals.
Redditor sweepernosweeping reported that Google despatched them an e-mail confirming that it by chance deleted Timeline knowledge for some individuals:
Hello
, We briefly skilled a technical challenge that triggered the deletion of Timeline knowledge for some individuals. We’re reaching out as your account could have been impacted.
When you have encrypted backups enabled, you could possibly restore your knowledge. Just be sure you have the newest model of Google Maps, then go to your Timeline. Faucet the cloud icon ( ) close to the highest of your display, and select a backup to import your knowledge. Should you didn’t have backups turned on, sadly you will be unable to recuperate misplaced knowledge.
We perceive that this may be irritating when you use Timeline to recollect locations that you simply’ve visited, and we’re taking steps to enhance our programs for the longer term.
The Timeline Crew
The person famous that they checked their Timeline knowledge and found that they solely had the final two weeks of information. Sadly, it seems like they weren’t capable of restore a backup.
A number of different customers additionally chimed in to substantiate receipt of the e-mail, with some reporting that they might restore their knowledge from a cloud backup. Nonetheless, others reported that the backup solely restored the previous few weeks of information, or that they didn’t have a backup in any respect.
Is your Google Maps Timeline knowledge lacking?
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Evidently, you would possibly wish to allow Timeline knowledge backups in your cellphone proper now when you’re involved about this challenge, because it isn’t enabled by default. I additionally observed that my Pixel 7 Professional solely had just a few weeks of information, however my vivo X200 Professional had my complete Timeline historical past, ostensibly as a result of I selected the latter as my fundamental Timeline system. So preserve that in thoughts when you’ve obtained two or extra telephones and wish to allow backups.
We’ve requested Google about this e-mail and the enclosed steps and can replace our article as quickly as the corporate responds to us. However, that is one other disappointing flip of occasions relating to Google’s Timeline migration course of.
