Did your Google Maps Timeline disappear? Here’s the fix to get yours back

March 24, 2025 TH Author

Your Google Maps Timeline data may have vanished – can you get it back? — ZDNET

Those of you who use the Google Maps Timeline to keep track of past trips and directions may notice that your data has mysteriously vanished. Well, not so mysteriously. The fault lies with Google, and you’re apparently out of luck unless you have a backup.

“We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people,” Google revealed in a statement shared with ZDNET. “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.”

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Formerly known as Location History, the Google Maps Timeline is a map that shows the directions you’ve used, the trips you’ve taken, and the places you’ve visited. The goal is to help you easily return to a previous location by accessing its history. But in the transition from Location History to Timeline, Google made a few changes.

In the past, your location data was stored in the cloud via your Google account. That meant it was automatically backed up and accessible on any device. However, that method also triggered privacy concerns for people who didn’t want Google accessing the places they visited.

With Timeline, your location details and travel data are instead stored on your device. Though that may secure the data from prying eyes, you have to sync the information to Google’s cloud if you want a backup that you can then restore. And that’s why many Maps users may be out of luck.

How to back up your Google Maps Timeline

To back up your Timeline, open Google Maps on your iPhone or Android device, tap your profile icon at the top, and then select Timeline. Tap the cloud icon and sign in with your Google account. Turn on the switch for Backup. An encrypted copy of your Timeline is then saved to Google’s servers. The backup automatically runs over Wi-Fi when your device is charging and idle.

How to restore your Google Maps Timeline

If you were already backing up your Timeline and the data is missing in Google Maps, here’s how to restore it. Launch Google Maps on your phone, tap your profile icon at the top, and then select Timeline. Tap the cloud icon. From the “Your backups” section, select a device, tap More, and then select Import. On the “Import Timeline from backup” screen, tap Import to restore the backup to your current device.

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At this point, the Timeline services have been restored, and anyone who’s enabled it should be able to see new visits. But that still leaves affected users without a history of their previous trips and directions.

Based on a discussion thread on Reddit, some people were able to restore their Timeline successfully, a few ran into trouble even with a recent backup, and others lost their Timeline because they had no online backup. In this case, Google may be to blame for losing the data, but the users ultimately pay the price.

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