Earlier this month, some Google Maps users found that their Timeline location history was missing, but the company has now fixed the issue.
In a statement to us today, Google acknowledged the “No visits for this day” issue that spanned back years for some, noting how it “briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people.” There were many reports of missing visits and routes since the first week of March, but not all users were affected.
For those impacted, the Google Maps Timeline functionality, which is not enabled by default, has been fixed and should be properly recording new visits.
“Nearly” all users that have enabled “encrypted Timeline backups will be able to restore their data.” (Some users won’t be able to.) This was an optional choice and marked by a cloud icon in the top-right corner of Timeline UI. When this issue was active, trying the backup did not work.
Top comment by Rafael Gómez
Verified this morning, more than ten years of lost chronological data, totally unacceptable, the final culmination of a series of modifications aimed at the sheer destruction of a service that was incredibly useful for millions of people.
The direction Google has taken in recent months is certainly worrying. First, the Pixel 4a disaster, then what happened with Chromecast and the announced end of support for these types of devices, and finally, this. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if maybe we need to start backing up our Google Drive files or email.
To do so today, Google says to make sure you’re running the latest version of Maps on Android and iOS. Open “Your Timeline” from the account menu and tap the aforementioned cloud icon. From the list, choose a device/backup and tap the three-dot icon for “Import” and follow the instructions.
However, those that “did not have backups enabled will not be able to recover lost data.” Google Maps introduced this Backup system when it switched from a cloud Timeline to the on-device approach that’s more privacy conscious.
Google is emailing Maps users that have Timeline enabled this afternoon with those instructions. (Update: If your Timeline wasn’t impacted, you don’t have to do anything.) That message ends on the following promise to “improve our systems for the future.”
We understand that this can be frustrating if you use Timeline to remember places you’ve visited, and we are taking steps to improve our systems for the future.
“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 spokesperson
Updating…
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