To stop new Google Maps Timeline records, turn off Timeline in the Google Maps mobile app. This prevents new Timeline saves, but it does not delete records already stored or switch off other location controls such as Maps Location Sharing or your phone’s location permission.
Turn off Google Maps Timeline
Google now calls its saved places-and-routes feature Timeline. “Location History” may still appear in some account controls or older help material. Google says Timeline is off by default and must be opted into. When it is on, Google Account Help says, “even when Google apps aren’t in use, your precise device location is regularly saved to your device.”
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Use the Google Maps app on an Android phone or iPhone/iPad; Timeline controls are not available in Maps on a computer. The exact wording can vary with device, app version, and Google’s gradual settings rollout.
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- Tap Your Timeline.
- Tap More, then Location and privacy settings.
- Tap Timeline is on.
- Under Timeline, choose Turn off. If the option appears and you also want to remove activity through this flow, choose Turn off and delete activity.
Google’s step-by-step instructions are available for Android and iPhone and iPad. If your screen differs, look for the equivalent Timeline or location-history control in the app’s settings.
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Delete Timeline records already saved
Turning Timeline off stops new Timeline saving on that device; it does not necessarily erase its existing records. Google says old data may remain on a signed-in device, so delete it separately if you want it removed.
Delete all or selected Timeline data
In the Maps app, open Your Timeline and use its settings to delete all Timeline history, or navigate to a particular day and remove individual visits or routes. Google’s instructions describe deleting selected days, visits, and routes as well as all Timeline history.
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Set Timeline to delete older data automatically
Google Maps offers Timeline auto-delete thresholds of 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. These are the available age settings described in Google’s current help instructions, not estimates of how long deletion takes. Review the Timeline setting in the app and select the threshold that suits you. See Google’s Timeline instructions.
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Check device copies and backup separately
Timeline data can be stored on devices, and Google also offers an encrypted server backup. Deleting a backup does not delete Timeline data kept on a device. Android instructions say backup must be opted into separately on each device, and changes may take a few days to appear in a backup. For a more complete cleanup, check Timeline on each signed-in device and review the backup state rather than assuming one deletion removes every copy. Details are in Google Account Help’s Timeline data guide.
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Choose the right control for the location data you mean
Timeline is only one of several controls. Use the one that matches your goal; changing Timeline alone does not change these other settings.
| Goal | Control to review | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Stop saved visits and routes | Google Maps Timeline | Timeline records of places and routes. |
| Stop saving Maps searches and interactions | Maps history | Activity such as searching, requesting directions, viewing a place, sharing a place link, or calling a place. |
| Review broader Google activity and related location information | Web & App Activity or Search Services History | Other Google activity; approximate location may be associated with activity through a general area or IP address. |
| Prevent Maps from accessing the phone’s location | Operating-system app location permission or device-wide location setting | Whether Maps can obtain device location, rather than whether past Timeline history is saved. |
| Stop sharing your current location with people | Google Maps Location Sharing | Live location sharing, which is separate from Timeline. |
Maps history and broader Google activity
Maps history is separate from Timeline. Deleting Maps history does not delete Timeline visits, and deleting Timeline does not clear all Maps activity. Google also says Web & App Activity or Search Services History may retain other location-related information. Settings are transitioning: where the newer Search-services controls have not arrived, Web & App Activity may still govern history and personalization. Review Google’s Maps history instructions and Google’s privacy controls overview.
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Maps Incognito is a narrower option for not saving Maps activity to your Google Account. It is not a replacement for turning off Timeline or changing the phone’s location permission.
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If you want Maps not to access the phone’s location at all, change Google Maps’ location permission in your operating system, or turn off device-wide location if that is your aim. These permissions control location access; they do not erase stored Timeline data.
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Turn off Location Sharing separately if you do not want people to see your live location through Google Maps. Timeline settings also do not change Google Location Services or Find Hub. A VPN may limit some information that apps infer from an IP address, but it does not disable GPS or device-location access, stop Timeline from recording precise location, or change Location Sharing. Google explains these distinctions in its privacy and control guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What deletion does—and does not—guarantee
Google’s Maps history guidance says that when Maps activity is manually deleted or removed by auto-delete, the removal process begins immediately: Google aims to remove it from view and stop using it to tailor the experience, then works to delete it from storage systems. Google notes that limited data may be retained for business or legal requirements. That description is about Maps history; it does not establish a specific Timeline erasure timeline.
Timeline deletion may not be reflected on another device, and other Google services can hold separate location-related information. Treat stopping future Timeline saves, deleting existing Timeline records and copies, and limiting other location access or account activity as distinct tasks.
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