Google Maps will save your history locally for privacy

Google has announced plans to store Google Maps history (or Timeline) data locally on users’ devices instead of in their Google Account, starting December 1, 2024.

Implementing local history on Google Maps

The changes are been announced initially from the tech giant in December 2023, along with changes to the automatic deletion control when enabling Location History, setting it to three months by default, up from the previous limit of 18 months.

There Google Maps travel historyas the name suggests, helps users track routes, trips and places visited over timeas long as Location History and Web & App Activity settings are enabled.

Google takes a step forward for user privacy

But with the latest change to host data on users’ devices, the company also stated that the ability to view them on the web will be removed.

“Since the data shown in your Timeline comes directly from your device, the Timeline [la cronologia dei propri spostamenti] it won’t be available in Maps on your computer after your data has moved to your phone“, has underlined Google in a support document.

The updates, he added, are being rolled out gradually to all users of the Google Maps app; users are also asked to turn on backups to save an encrypted copy of Timeline data on Google’s servers to facilitate the transfer when changing devices.

In short save the history of your movements on Google Maps it will become something more, not something mandatory as it was before.

The motivations of the technological giant behind this choice

The development is part of a series of changes the company has implemented in response to allegations that the company misled consumers and illegally tracked their movements despite them having turned off Location History from their account settings, taking advantage of the non-obvious Web & App Activity setting.

“Leaving ‘Web & App Activity’ on and turning off ‘Location History’ only prevents Google from adding your movements to the ‘Timeline’, the view of your daily movements“, has revealed an Associated Press investigation in 2018.”It does not prevent Google from collecting other location markers.”

Since then, Google has reached up an agreement with different States in the United States regarding this practice, with the company also deciding to pay a whopping 62 million US dollars to numerous non-profit organizations in April 2024; a similar cause filed in the state of Texas is still pending.

Any alternatives to Google Maps

If after this news coming from Google, you are worried about your safety (since it is not the first time that the company has faced similar lawsuits), know that fortunately There are several alternatives to Google Maps available, each with its own unique features and functionality. Here are some of the main ones:

1. Apple Maps: Integrated into Apple devices, it offers intuitive navigation, detailed maps and integration with Siri, available as the name itself suggests only on Apple devices;
2. Waze: A navigation app owned by Google, but with a focus on real-time traffic information and user reporting; worth noting that it can easily be used by simply starting it, without the need for registration, no small feat for an application owned by Google itself;
3. HERE WeGo: Offers detailed and accurate maps, offline navigation and information on public transport, traffic and even navigation for pedestrian traffic;
4. MapQuest: Provides maps, directions, and real-time traffic informationwith a routing function to find the fastest route.
5. OpenStreetMap (OSM): A collaborative project that provides free, editable maps, used by many third-party apps such as OsmAnd and Maps.me.
6. Maps.me: Based on OpenStreetMap, offers free offline maps, navigation and travel guides;
7. OsmAnd: An OpenStreetMap-based app that offers offline maps, detailed navigation, and support for different map types and layers, be careful that it offers a free edition with limits and a full version which however requires a fee;
8. Sygic: Offers offline maps, advanced GPS navigation, and a host of premium features such as real-time traffic information and points of interest;
9. CoPilot GPS: A navigation application that offers detailed offline maps, route planning and real-time traffic information;
10. TomTom GO Navigation: Provides offline maps, detailed navigation, and real-time traffic information with frequent map updates.
11. Citymapper: Ideal for public transport in the city, offers detailed information on buses, metropolitan, trainsand other means of transport.

Each of these applications has its own peculiarities and advantages, therefore the best choice will depend on the specific needs and preferences of the user.

Not just Google Maps: a few words about Traffic Info

Although it is not a real alternative to Google Maps, it is available on Android systems Traffic Info who can act as a navigator (even if it appears as “ACom” once installed), this application allows you to monitor traffic in real time

This application can not only act (if desired) as a navigator, therefore as an effective alternative to Google Maps, but as you can see from the image above it even shows which roads may be busy with any roadworks in progress.

When you don’t have an internet connection

It is a common opinion that for applications that act as satellite navigation (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps itself, and so on), the internet line is necessarily needed (mobile data, so to speak): however, this is only partially true.

Know that Google Maps itself, but also many other applications allow this to download offline maps and simply keep the GPS to be able to track your route.

This function is particularly useful in places where 4G, or in any case the mobile data connection, does not work well or at all.

Now that you know that you can have a map like good old Tom Tom, without having to go crazy due to lack of connection and that you can even use your old phone (or old tablet): happy travels!