Google Maps Timeline (2026): See Location History, Restore Backups and Export Data

Quick answer (verified October 13, 2026): Google Maps Timeline is the feature that lets you review places and routes saved from your signed-in devices. On Android or iPhone, open the Google Maps app → profile picture → Your Timeline, then choose a day on the calendar to review recorded visits. Timeline now uses on-device history; turning on its separate encrypted backup option helps preserve a copy if you replace your phone. Google explicitly says Timeline is not available in Google Maps on a computer under the device-based system.

Below, we explain how to turn Timeline on or off, find an earlier trip, correct errors, manage backups, export the data and avoid the most serious mistake: resetting a phone or deleting a backup before you know where the only remaining copy of your location history lives. Every key menu path was checked against Google’s official Android and iOS help pages, not legacy tutorials for the old web version.

What is Google Maps Timeline and where is the data stored?

Timeline can record the places you visit and the ways you travel—walking, cycling, driving and public transit, for example—when the feature is enabled. It provides a personal travel log you can inspect or edit. Google says Timeline is off by default and requires your consent. Turning it on permits supported devices to save precise location information regularly, including when the Maps app is not open.

The major change to understand is that each eligible device now keeps its own Timeline data rather than relying on the same web-based history view that some older guides describe. An optional encrypted backup can be stored on Google’s servers so you may import it onto a different device. Backup must be enabled separately for each device and can take several days to reflect changes; backup is not the same as real-time synchronization of every edit.

Because Timeline contains sensitive location information, review its privacy controls carefully on shared phones or devices managed by an employer or family. Google’s official account data guidance describes how Timeline and other Google location services relate without treating them as one data store.

How to view your Google Maps Timeline on Android

1. Open the current Google Maps app on your Android phone or tablet and sign into the account whose trips you want to view.
2. Tap your profile picture or initial in the upper-right area.
3. Select Your Timeline.
4. Choose Today or the calendar control at the top to switch to a previous day or month.
5. Tap a day to review saved visits and movement. Where available, switch between summary views such as Places, Cities or World.
6. If a place is inaccurate, use the Timeline edit controls rather than deleting your entire history.

Google’s current Android help says Timeline requires a recent Google Maps version and is not available on Android Go devices. If Your Timeline is missing, update Maps from the official app store and check account/device eligibility before assuming all data was deleted.

How to view Google Maps Timeline on iPhone or iPad

The process is similar on iOS, but device permission controls differ from Android:

1. Open Google Maps on the iPhone or iPad and choose the relevant Google Account.
2. Tap your profile picture or initial and open Your Timeline.
3. Use the calendar icon to select an earlier date; swipe between days or months.
4. Review visits and routes saved on this device. You can also view some place-based summary tabs.
5. If the history is empty, confirm Timeline is turned on and check the app’s location permissions.

According to Google’s official iPhone and iPad instructions, the device may require appropriate iOS Location Services permissions for ongoing Timeline recording. The exact system wording can vary between iOS versions; follow Google’s and Apple’s current settings screens rather than older screenshots.

How to turn Google Maps Timeline on

Google documents these Android steps:

1. In Google Maps, tap your profile picture → Your Timeline.
2. Open the three-dot More menu and choose Location and privacy settings.
3. Under Location settings, check whether device location is switched on. If not, enable it through the system prompt.
4. Check whether Timeline is on. If it says Timeline is off, tap the control and choose to enable it.
5. Return to the Timeline view. New visits may be recorded after enabling the feature; previous unrecorded trips cannot be conjured from nothing.

iPhone uses the same general Google Maps path, with additional location authorization handled by iOS. Google’s help specifically mentions enabling the applicable Location Services permissions. The Timeline control is optional, and turning it off should not be confused with turning off every other location-based service or mapping function.

How to back up Google Maps Timeline before changing phones

Important: Google says you have to opt in to Timeline backup separately on each device. An encrypted backup can be useful when moving to a replacement phone, but turning the feature on today does not guarantee every recent change has been uploaded instantly. Google also instructs users to turn off Timeline auto-delete before enabling backup. Check the app’s current prompts.

1. On the old phone, open Google Maps → your profile picture → Your Timeline.
2. Open the Timeline’s Location and privacy settings and review auto-delete. If it is on, Google’s Android documentation says to choose Don’t auto-delete activity before turning on backup.
3. Return to Your Timeline and tap the cloud/backup icon in the upper-right area.
4. Enable Backup and confirm Turn on when prompted.
5. Verify the source device appears in the available backups list. Allow time for the backup to update and keep the old device accessible until you verify an import if possible.
6. Before selling or resetting the old phone, create a local export too if you need an additional independent copy of history.

There is a meaningful difference between deleting a cloud backup and deleting Timeline stored locally on the phone. Google explains that turning off or deleting backups does not by itself erase existing Timeline data on the devices. But it removes the cloud recovery route; that can be disastrous if you later lose the old phone.

How to restore or import Timeline on a new phone

If the old phone has a valid encrypted backup, Google’s Android and iOS guidance describes an import flow on the new device:

1. Install and open an up-to-date Google Maps app on the new device.
2. Sign in with the account that owns the Timeline backup.
3. Open profile picture → Your Timeline.
4. Tap the cloud/backup control at the upper right.
5. Under Your backups, select the original device.
6. Tap More → Import for that device, then confirm Import.
7. Review several known dates after the import. Do not wipe the source phone until you have checked that the trips you need actually appear.

Import should be understood as transferring existing recorded data, not automatically recreating every location your account ever visited. The backup may lag recent Timeline changes, and some items might be missing if they were never captured or were already deleted.

What if the backup says “Your encrypted data is locked on this device”?

Google’s official help gives a specific recovery path: find the device that originally encrypted the backup, open its Google Maps Timeline backup screen and re-enter your password if prompted. Then try locating or importing the backup on the new device again. If you still own the older phone, use this official method before doing anything destructive.

Google also describes a last-resort route for people who no longer have access to the original device: turn off Timeline backups and delete the existing encrypted backups so new backups can be made. That permanently deletes the old backups. It is not a method for recovering their contents. Do not use it casually as a first troubleshooting step, and never give a third party your Google password or recovery codes.

How to export Google Maps Timeline data to a file

A local export can provide an additional copy independent of the app’s encrypted backup interface. It is also useful for personal record keeping, although the export is a data file, not automatically a ready-made interactive Google Maps webpage.

Export from Android

1. Open the phone’s main Settings app, not the Google Maps app.
2. Go to Location → Location services → Timeline.
3. Choose Export Timeline data.
4. Tap Continue, choose a safe destination, then tap Save.
5. Wait for confirmation that the export has completed and verify the file exists before resetting or replacing the phone.

These steps come from Google’s current Android instructions. If the menu differs, update Android/Google Play services and check the current official documentation rather than clearing Google Play services data as an experiment.

Export from iPhone or iPad

1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture or initial.
2. Choose Settings → Location & Privacy.
3. Tap Export Timeline data.
4. In the iOS share sheet, select Save to Files, choose a folder and save the export.
5. Google says the exported iOS file is called location-history.json.

If you cannot find the saved export later, see our iPhone Files and downloads guide. Do not share JSON exports publicly: they can reveal patterns of where you live, work, travel and spend time.

Can you see Google Maps Timeline on a computer in 2026?

No, not through the official Google Maps desktop Timeline viewer. Google’s current computer support page explicitly says Timeline comes directly from the device and is not available in Google Maps on a computer. That is why old tutorials telling you to open a Timeline website on a laptop can no longer work as expected.

If you want to examine your own records on a larger screen, export the Timeline file from your phone and store it securely on a computer. Opening JSON in a text editor can show structured entries, but it will not automatically recreate Google’s Timeline interface. Be extremely careful with third-party “Timeline viewer” websites that ask you to upload your location history: review their privacy policy, whether processing is truly local, and what data could be retained.

Why is my Google Maps Timeline missing or empty?

Before concluding your data is permanently lost, identify the exact situation. A device-specific history model makes account and phone identity particularly important.

What if I cleared Google Play services data?

Google’s Android documentation warns that factory resetting a device or clearing Google Play services data can delete the Timeline data on that device. Do not interpret “clear cache” and “clear app data” as interchangeable, especially when troubleshooting sensitive local histories. Our Android cache and app-data differences guide explains why those operations differ.

Does reinstalling Google Maps restore Timeline automatically?

Do not count on it. The safe recovery path is to confirm whether a usable local history or encrypted backup exists. Deleting app data or reinstalling before checking your backup can eliminate the only available copy. A fresh login does not prove Google’s servers hold an interchangeable complete history.

How to correct the wrong place or an incorrect visit time

Location records are imperfect. Dense city streets, neighboring businesses and weak reception can make a phone record the wrong stop. Google allows edits to the Timeline when the feature is available.

1. Open Google Maps → profile picture → Your Timeline.
2. Choose the day with the incorrect entry.
3. Use the edit controls for the day or entry (Google’s Android documentation describes Edit → Edit day).
4. Select a more accurate place or use Search for a place if the correct location is not listed.
5. Adjust visit time if appropriate, then save the edits and review the resulting day.

If an entry is entirely incorrect, remove that visit instead of erasing the entire month or all Timeline data. Google notes that edits and deletions on one device are not automatically reflected on other devices, so check each device that holds relevant history.

How to delete Timeline, disable it or set auto-delete

These are separate choices. Turning off Timeline stops new Timeline recording on that device; it does not necessarily remove previously saved data. Deleting Timeline data is a different action. Google’s current Android help describes options to delete all entries, a date range, a day or a specific visit.

Turn off Timeline without deleting old history

Open Your Timeline → More → Location and privacy settings → Timeline is on → Turn off. Avoid selecting Turn off and delete activity unless deleting existing information is what you intend. Review the confirmation text before committing.

Delete a day, one visit or all history

From Your Timeline, open the calendar to find a day; use its available removal control to delete that day or a specific visit. To delete all history, use the Location and privacy settings → Delete all Timeline data control documented by Google. Consider exporting records you legitimately need before deleting them.

Automatically delete older location history

Google documents auto-delete periods of 3, 18 or 36 months. These controls are useful for data minimization, but they conflict with the official Android instructions to switch off auto-delete before enabling Timeline cloud backup. Think carefully about whether your priority is long-term travel history or limiting retention; review current product prompts before changing either setting.

Privacy: what Timeline does and does not control

Deleting Timeline does not guarantee that every other Google service has no information about your approximate or precise location. The Google Account documentation distinguishes Timeline from Search services history, Web & App Activity, Location Sharing and location information embedded in photos. Those services have their own controls.

Do not share raw Timeline exports with strangers or paste them into a public chatbot, forum or unverified viewer. Unlike an ordinary screenshot, an exported travel history can expose recurring home and work locations, sensitive visits and months of movement patterns. Store it with appropriate access controls and delete unneeded copies.

Frequently asked questions about Google Timeline

Where is my Google Maps Timeline?

In the Google Maps app on a supported phone or tablet, tap your profile picture → Your Timeline. Choose a date from the calendar. The old desktop Maps Timeline view is no longer available under the device-based system.

Is Google Maps Timeline on by default?

No. Google’s official account guidance says Timeline is off by default and only turns on when you opt in.

Can I recover deleted Timeline history?

Recovery depends on whether a separate usable copy remains on a device or in a backup. Do not assume deletion is reversible. Google documents a backup import workflow, but an erased and unbacked-up history cannot be reliably recreated from account login alone.

Why can I see Timeline on one phone but not another?

Devices store Timeline records separately. Check whether the second device has its own recorded history or whether an encrypted backup from the original device can be imported.

Is Timeline cloud backup automatically enabled?

No. Google says you must opt in separately per device and allow time for backups to update. The local Timeline feature and cloud backup are separate settings.

Can I see my old Google Timeline in a browser?

Google’s current desktop help explicitly says Timeline is not available for Maps on a computer. Exporting a data file is possible from the phone, but that does not recreate the old web viewer.

What happens if I delete a Timeline backup?

Google says deleting a backup does not by itself delete locally stored Timeline data on your devices. But it removes the cloud copy; if you later lose the phone, you may not have a restore source.

Can I export Timeline from an iPhone?

Yes. Google’s iOS help provides an Export Timeline data option in Google Maps Settings → Location & Privacy and saves a file called location-history.json.

Does turning off Timeline also turn off Google Maps navigation?

Timeline recording is a separate feature from general device location services and Google Maps navigation. You can control Timeline independently, although navigation itself still needs appropriate location permission for live positioning.

Official sources and review notes

• Google Maps Help — Android Timeline (turn on, view, backup, import, export, edit, delete).
• Google Maps Help — iPhone and iPad Timeline (permissions, viewing, backup and export).
• Google Maps Help — Computer Timeline (why the computer version is unavailable).
• Google Account Help — Manage your Timeline data (on-device storage and privacy distinctions).

AVARIXO editorial review: October 13, 2026. This article follows current Google documentation for device-based Timeline. Google says related Search settings are rolling out gradually; menus may differ during rollout. Use the linked official product help if your device shows newer wording.