New Google Maps 'Your Timeline' Puts Location History at Core

Google has added a feature to its maps software that uses local information to plot events and locations, letting users track their travel history.

The Your Timeline feature increases the use of location information and lets users retrace their steps, according to a Google Maps blog post.

The feature could let consumers of different businesses keep a note and a map of their important locations and stores, saving time and stress having to remember where they were. The feature is aimed at all users, and Google has given its release a holiday season feel.

“Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you’ve been, whether it’s a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled on a few months ago? Well, starting today, Google Maps can help,” the company said.

“We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year. Your Timeline allows you to visualise your real-world routines, easily see the trips you’ve taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.”

Your Timeline uses location information, and will inevitably raise some privacy concerns. Google said that the information is kept private and shared only with the user. The user controls what locations are stored and is able to edit information relating to any tagged location.

“Your Timeline is private and visible only to you; and you control the locations you choose to keep. This means you can easily delete a day or your full history at any time,” Google said.

“Available on desktop and Android, you can access Your Timeline if you’ve opted in to store your location history with Google. With Your Timeline, you have even more ways to view and control your location data.”

This article was originally published on V3.