Google Maps Timeline is gone from the web: what changed and what to do
Google shut down the timeline in the browser and moved your history: it is no longer stored in your account, it lives on your phone. The change rolled out in waves through 2024, on different dates for different people. The history still exists, but it is only visible inside the Google Maps app, and the only way to take a copy is exporting the file from the app itself.
Why Google did it
The stated reason was privacy: with the history on the device, Google no longer keeps a detailed server-side record of everywhere you have been. The side effect is that the data lost the automatic backup it had by living in your account. Now it depends on the device, and disappears with it.
The part that caught many people off guard
During the migration, Google kept only the most recent period. Anyone who did not back up within the deadline announced by email lost the older history permanently. That is why so many people open the timeline today, or export the file, and find far less than they expected: the export did not fail, the data no longer exists. If years of history are gone, there is nothing to recover. It is still worth making sure that everything from now on is protected.
What to do today
Confirm recording is on in "Your timeline"; turn on timeline backup in "Location and privacy settings" so a lost or replaced phone does not take the history with it; and export a copy from time to time. The export produces a Timeline.json file on your device, your own copy, independent of Google and of the phone.
And once you have the file?
Timeline.json on its own is a list of coordinates with dates, hard to read. On MapTape it becomes a video of your route: trips are detected automatically and the video is built inside your browser, without the file leaving your device. Free, no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I no longer open the timeline on my computer?
Google ended the web version of the timeline and now stores the history on the device itself, not in the account. The change rolled out in waves, on different dates for each user. Today the history is only visible inside the Google Maps app on your phone.
My older history disappeared. Can it be recovered?
During the migration Google kept only the most recent period on the device. Anyone who did not back up within the emailed deadline lost the earlier history, and there is no way to recover it afterwards. It is irreversible.
Where do I see my history now?
In the Google Maps app, by tapping your profile picture and choosing "Your timeline". Each device keeps its own history: what is on the phone does not appear on a tablet or computer.
If I switch phones, do I lose everything?
You do, unless you turned on timeline backup in Google Maps settings or exported the file. Since the data lives on the device, changing phones without a backup means starting from zero.
How do I make a copy of my history?
From the app itself, under "Location and privacy settings", there is an option to export timeline data. It generates a Timeline.json file on the device.
Is Google Takeout still any use?
For the current timeline, no. Takeout delivers the old format from when the history lived in the account. The export made from the app is the one that delivers the format used today.