‘Years of travel and memories’ gone as Google accidentally wipes data
Some Google Maps users are unhappy after seeing ‘years’ of their data deleted after a ‘technical issue’.
The problem affects those who had the Timeline feature turned on for the maps app.
It allows people to save their location data, as a record of where they have been, as well as including photos taken during your day.
This could be helpful for logistics, like remembering routes, or for sentimental reasons, like remembering visits on a trip abroad.
Users on Reddit were first to flag that there had been a problem.
In r/GooglePixel, a disgrunted Maps user shared an email they had received from Google Maps saying: ‘We’re reaching out as your account may have been impacted.
‘We understand that this can be frustrating if you use Timeline to remember places that you’ve visited, and we are taking steps to improve our systems for the future.’
They added that after taking the steps advised, ‘lo and behold, I’ve only got the last fortnight of Timeline history’.
Another user said that they had lost their saved information, describing it as ‘years of travel and memories gone’.
A Google spokesperson said: ‘We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people.
‘Nearly everyone with encrypted Timeline backups will be able to restore their data; unfortunately those who did not have backups enabled will not be able to recover lost data.’
Timeline is turned off by default, as not everyone wants their every move to be recorded.
But for those who do, services have been restored and people should now see new visits in their Timeline.
How can I restore my Google Maps timeline data?
If you have encrypted backups enabled, you may be able to restore your data:
- Make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps, then go to your Timeline.
- Tap the cloud icon near the top of your screen and choose a backup to import your data.
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