How to export your Google Maps Timeline history from your phone
In the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture, open "Your timeline", tap the three-dot menu, go to "Location and privacy settings" and choose "Export timeline data". The Timeline.json file is saved on your device and takes about two minutes. Exporting from a computer through Google Takeout gives you an old format that no longer works.
Step by step
- 1Open your timelineIn the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture in the top right and choose "Your timeline".
- 2Go to location settingsInside the timeline, tap the three-dot menu and choose "Location and privacy settings".
- 3Export the dataScroll to "Export timeline data" and confirm. Google builds the file right there, on the device.
- 4Find the fileIt is saved as Timeline.json. On Android it usually lands in Downloads; on iPhone, in the Files app, under "On My iPhone" or Downloads, depending on where you chose to save it.
Any difference between Android and iPhone?
The path inside the app is the same on both, because the timeline is now stored on the device rather than in your account. What changes is where the file lands: on Android it usually goes straight to Downloads; on iPhone the system asks where to save it and the file shows up in the Files app.
What to do with the file
Timeline.json is a list of places with dates and times, hard to read on its own. On MapTape it becomes a video of your route: trips are detected automatically, you pick one, add photos and the video comes out ready to post. Everything happens inside your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the file after exporting?
It is saved as Timeline.json. On Android, usually in Downloads. On iPhone, in the Files app, in the folder you chose when saving, typically Downloads or "On My iPhone".
Is the file uploaded to a server?
No. The export happens on your device, and on MapTape the file is read by your browser. It never passes through any server of ours.
I exported and the file is empty or has very little. Now what?
Two common causes. First, recording was off for that period, so there is no history to export. Second, the 2024 change: Google moved the timeline onto the device and kept only the most recent period, and anyone who did not back up in time lost the older history for good.
I downloaded it from Google Takeout on my computer and it did not work. Why?
Takeout gives you an old format, built around timelineObjects, that Google discontinued for the timeline. The export made from the phone app gives you the current format, which is the one that works.
Do I need to install anything to turn it into a video?
No. MapTape runs in the browser: you pick the file, it detects your trips automatically and the video is built right there, for free.
Does it work in any browser?
Video generation uses WebCodecs, available in Safari 16.4 or newer, Chrome and Edge. In-app browsers such as Instagram"s and TikTok"s often lack it; in that case just open the link in Safari or Chrome.