This is no secret Google, as well as other large technology companies, know a lot about you. Probably a lot more than you think they do. And while it’s generally really creepy, it can sometimes briefly produce great results before it gets creepy again. Case study: You can start the year by chasing yourself with Google Maps.
As you saw 9to5Google, Google Maps is currently deploying its “2020 Timeline Update,” an email that provides you with a breakdown of where you’ve been based on your location history. While this recap is also available monthly, it is noted in the outlet, the 2020 update will show how your travel habits have been throughout the past year.
Yes, 2020 was the year of the coronavirus pandemic, which severely affected travel and movement in general, and Google recognizes that.
“COVID-19 changed world travel in 2020 and how many places people were able to visit,” the email says for 9to5Google. “If you’ve been able to travel this year, you can see some of the places you’ve been to with the help of this automatic timeline email.”
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While the pandemic has hampered our travel lifestyles, it can still be interesting to see where we came from. According to 9to5Google, the update includes a map with the cities and places you’ve traveled to, as well as a new section called “Trends.” This section tells you what types of places you’ve been to, such as places to go shopping or eating. Google Maps history also lets you know how many miles you’ve traveled and traveled.
To use the feature, it looks like you’ll need to turn on Location History in your Google Account settings. (No, that’s why I foolishly searched for this summary for quite some time and got no results). However, if you have other configuration options enabled, such as Web and in-app activity, Google may still save your location data when you use its sites, applications, and services, even if you have stopped Location History or you have deleted your location data. company support pages for the function.
On the feature’s support page, Google says you can edit your history or delete your location history and time intervals at any time.
Fortunately, Google says your timeline isn’t available to everyone. It is private and only you can see it on your mobile and desktop.
All in all, it’s great, but also creepy. It’s up to you to decide how a feature like this makes you feel. You may like to see your data broken down this way. But if you don’t, you always can turn it off.
[9to5Google]