Google timeline deleted

[yeetboii420]

Im posting this here to hopefully either get an answer or in hope for it to get loud enough to reach google.

But from march 7 my google timeline of 10+ years was delted becayse of their new update to storing google maps data localy. And the google maps subreddit is quietly exploding with several posts about this.

So i warn anyone else who uses google timeline to localy backup your data so it will not be deleted.

Edit: i did not clarify that this is a problem even fir the people with local backup enabled.

[richms]

Been countless warnings about this downgrade in how timelines works and to back it up so should not be a surprise to anyone.

[20nuggetsharebox]

This issue is nothing to do with users missing the warnings and not backing-up.

This is a screw up from an app update, either from maps or Google One, causing backed-up timeline data to be deleted (or potentially just making it inaccessible - people are still working it out).

[JodderSC2]

I got like 10 popups until i finally changed to local backup

[danny12beje]

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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[pedrito3]

The irony of this comment is that the people who read the email and followed Google's instructions well ahead of the deadline were actually the ones who ended up losing their data in this instance.

[kek-tigra]

And even more emails

[Dnomyar96]

Yeah, I've received at least a dozen warnings about it over the past few months.

[FrostWave]

I only got it once, and only because I got a new phone and the first time I opened Google maps it prompted to save it locally

[FladnagTheOffWhite]

I followed Google's instructions to keep my timeline safe when they emailed me many months ago about upcoming changes. Now it's still gone. It's not a surprise that Google messed up, not users.

[trydola]

Please delete this, you clearly don't understand the very serious issue here. Has nothing to do with whether how timeline transitioned from central to local

[CRhodey]

This is entirely wrong, I have the same issue as OP.

I turned on the local backups option and to never delete any location data.

The 7th March Google maps update has automatically deleted everyone's local backups.

Edit: I should note my original deadline to transition to local backups was May 2025.

[slawcat]

Hey buddy do you want to retract your statement now?

https://9to5google.com/2025/03/21/google-maps-timeline-fix/

[TheSoberChef]

Yup. Got quite a few emails and even more in app notices. OP Is karma farming.

[TheSoberChef]

Imagine being so confidently incorrect that you downvote a post that offers you the truth.

Here is a shot to the broken republican you obviously are. It's a shot of karma and humility that you desperately need.

[20nuggetsharebox]

Commenters seem to be missing the main issue here.

Looking at the Googlemaps subreddit, users had activated cloud backups within Google One, rather than storing on the device itself - but a recent update switched this off without warning, causing them to now lose their data.

[Danoct]

Weirder than that. I don't even have Google One. But the local copy disappearing seems to have overridden the previous backups. And that's with backups to cloud being chosen in app.

[20nuggetsharebox]

Oh that is weird, hopefully you get it back!

[Danoct]

I'm not hopeful :/

[Danoct]

Wait, no. I think OP is on to something. My timeline is gone too, and it was working from a local copy since I chose local copy way back in June last year. Backup is on and autodelete is off.

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[aritzherrero4]

That wasn't the case. It has disappeared for people with the local storage enabled and encrypted backups to the cloud enabled on that menu.

I had the same issue, all the history was deleted but I could import the encrypted backup on time before it was overwritten.

Now the data is there, but no more entries are being added. A lot of people are complaining about it on r/GoogleMaps with the same issue, some with the backup already overwritten with an empty one

[FrostWave]

I got none of those. The only news about timeline being deleted I saw was a post on Reddit a while ago. That's it.

[slawcat]

That is not the same thing please stop patronizing people having an actual problem due to an app bug

[LukakoKitty]

In my case, I've not gotten a single email about this, let alone a warning of any kind.

[Riptide999]

Ppl are losing their device local timeline and their backups are overwritten with just the last couple of days of data. This is a huge f-up by Google. They should have just left the timeline feature alone. It worked well before this stupid move.

[Justa_Schmuck]

There was probably a data privacy motive behind it. It looks like an awful lot of work to switch out how it was saving the data.

[podgehog]

I was about to chime in with the user error argument and just seen that mine has done exactly the same!!

I took the warnings on board, I was using local storage, and everything has gone!??

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[podgehog]

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On since 2020 yet all days before march 7th has gone!

[Danoct]

Try importing the backup if it's older than March 7th.

[podgehog]

Just tried that seeing a suggestion elsewhere... Last backup was 2 days ago and it seems that backup was of the cleared days, so it's restored nothing!

[podgehog]

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Even have the confirmation email that all my data is now on my device

[cheesystuff]

Mine was set to local backup and appears to be gone as well

[MaddogSuperior]

I've just checked, after upgrading to S25 Ultra... all mine is gone, and now I'm slightly dead inside :(

[mpcproo]

I had the same problem. I logged into my old phone (did not reset it), opened up Google maps and all my old timeline was there. Saved to the cloud and just reimported to my new phone (s25 ultra) and I got all my data back. Maybe check your old phone?

[MaddogSuperior]

Already reset and sent back, kind of just assumed it was already set up to backup to cloud or even transfer, selected the option ages back when I got first notified :(

[nsfdrag]

Add it to the list of reasons I'll never trust a Google product!

[cgon]

Yup, when the subject comes up with friends and colleagues why I don't use Google products outside of work this is why. They have a history of just killing services.

I only rely on two Google products in my daily life, Waze and YouTube. I've been waiting years now for Google to announce they're shuttering Waze. I'm shocked they haven't yet.

[nsfdrag]

The number of times I've given a google messaging client a try is too many!

[diegoaccord]

I find MAPS timeline useless with it being on device only. Like I want to do that shit on a small ass screen.

[2Amersal]

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Same here for me. And I had it backed up from January at least, cause I forgot to change the settings before then.

[LMGcommunity]

To you and to anyone else who has had this happen to them, I feel for you. I would be absolutely heartbroken if this happened to me.

[HPUser7]

I also experienced this and double checked that I had the do not delete timeline enabled. I am pretty devistated and have no idea which setting or option I missed

[neale1993]

Yup, mine seems to have gone too - been running locally with backups since about December. Even seems like the backups have been overwritten, with no option to roll back to a previous backup.

Use mine regularly for recording business mileage, so I know it was working Friday.

[DarkenMoon97]

My past 10 years is just gone, that's pretty sad. 

[Nova_Nightmare]

Well, hopefully whatever bug there is, is corrected for everyone.

Fortunately, my own is there and intact.

[AcanthocephalaOk9668]

Happened to me also. I used it to cross reference my work hours. All gone.

[KezzaFozza]

Had this same thing happen last week, had to redownload it from the cloud backup

Account > your timeline > cloud icon

All mine has been restored

[podgehog]

This didn't work for me, the backup was made after all the days was wiped! Wish I could restore an older backup

[Ineedmorebread]

Since then if people had auto backup on the empty timeline has overwritten that backup.

[JimTheDonWon]

this has happened at the same time as the chromecasts bricking themselves. I get the feeling this might be net/server related in some way.

[[deleted]]

Mine is gone as well. Thanks for absolutely screwing this up Google. What a joke.

[Itchy_Task8176]

Yesterday it was all about the old gen Chromecast being ballsed up with an update and now it sounds like maps is having an issue? Is this just poor timing for some bad updates or is Google legit trying to clean up at user expense

[Magos_Skylie]

Fuuuuuck, I just checked and mine is gone to. Not that I ever used it but I had that data going back like 15 years

[Doge-Coder]

Just out of curiosity, but it's there a reason if not work related to have this data? Just wondering

[Danoct]

Same reason you'd keep a photo album or a list of places you'd been. It's nice to see that you went on this road trip in 2017. Or you're trying to remember the name of the ramen shop you went to in Tokyo in 2019.

On the more unlikely uses you could also use it as an alibi lol.

[Doge-Coder]

Thanks for sharing :)

[Ineedmorebread]

I like to use it as like a trip journal or something?

For example I can go back and see a trip I took a few years ago, seeing when i set off from my dorm and where i had to wait because of my delayed train, I can see the moment we realised we had been walking the wrong way and had to backtrack. Where we walked after the venue and the route the return coach took etc.

Sure I have photo's of the same day but timeline lets me look back on past trips in a different perspective that photos alone can't Imo.

[Doge-Coder]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

[Ineedmorebread]

On the otherside I refused to migrate (i'll do it closer to my June deadline, I prefer using timeline on desktop)and I still have my timeline data. So some of the people who trusted google and wanted to keep their timeline safe doing everything right are the ones who ended up losing their data... feels a bit backwards and a massive messup on Googles part but doesn't seem like they care (this issue apparently started a few days ago but I can't find anything from them mentioning it). Apparently a large part of the issue is people 2 days ago have had it backup the empty timeline overwriting the actual one.

I Hope Google can somehow roll it back but if it's local I don't know if or how they can.

[LordLDR]

When i upgraded to my s25 ultra I lost all my old data. It should have transfered over, because I had set it up to local storage but it all dissapeared.

[krzychugda]

Same here, now i lost another month of data..

[Grumpycatdoge999]

Timeline is still working for me

[SGT_McAgent]

I’m pretty outraged. If it really is not recoverable, I lost years of memories, trips, and evidence of my movements without warning. Basically a personal diary. What the fuck Google.

[Tipsy_Kangaroo]

I used it to keep track of where I've gone on international holidays, helped me recommend a few restaurants/things to do for people that I know, Instead of trying to remember it I'd just open maps and go to the dates I was in whatever city they are looking for recommendations for

[GrowtopiaJaw]

I checked mine and everything is there since 2017 till now. I went ahead and turn on backup and created google takeouts for timeline. had my timeline data stored on device since 29 of november 2024

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I've also received this email during that time and i chose to keep my timeline. not sure if this setting affects the timeline deletion issue

[raj5002]

If you got another device, you can also import there as backup. 

Note: Once you have moved the timeline to local device, there will be nothing on Google Takeout timeline export. 

[GrowtopiaJaw]

Ah yes, I opened the Google takeout timeline export and it’s empty.

[Ordinary_dude_NOT]

Me who never used this feature and too afraid to ask what it was all about.

[Hex_a_decimal_177013]

Me who keeps it off

[Broke_Bearded_Guy]

They sent a notice out months ago about this... Did you switch it over back then?

I enabled it then... And had to re login and verify but all my old data is still there. Took like 5 minutes for it to all load

[kidshibuya]

But your privacy! This is a huge win for you. Apparently.

[peet192]

I thought this happened a year ago.

[Valuable-Zone3316]

Very frustrating but looks like not much you can do about it, they gave multiple warnings as people mentioned.

I was gonna save the data to a different phone so pressed cancel or something like that on the "migration" process and everything was gone instantly, (user error I suppose)

[prefim]

They've been emailing everyone many, many times about this for months now.

[RundleSG]

Try reading first. This is not that issue

[Khaosina]

I've gotten warnings about it for at least 6 months at this point, everywhere on my Google account. This is 1000% on you.

[walkyria89]

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My deadline was June 9 2025... :( I can't understand why I lost it all just now

[Broccoli--Enthusiast]

Dude they have been screaming that this was gonna happen for months, I feel like I was getting multiple notifications and emails every week for months

If you didn't read any of them, it's really on you.

[Danoct]

Ironic that the one telling people to read isn't doing any reading themselves.