Some users' websites have been scanned by Google for up to 15 years
Learning that Google Maps experienced a bug that erased up to 15 years of timelines, memories, and travels from thousands of users may make you reconsider if you are one of those people who depend on technology to preserve a lifetime of memories.
For some very personal things, like the pertinent travel history that Google Maps has gathered over the past few years and which you might have lost, it is always advisable to not rely solely on technology.
Many users have been unable to access their location history on Google Maps for a number of days, but they think it is a technical glitch that will be fixed in the next few days using all of Google's resources.
Unfortunately, Google acknowledged in a recent email to thousands of users that all of your location data—up to 15 years in some cases—was lost due to a technical glitch.
The app shows our location history, a personalized map that includes, for instance, all of our travels, the locations we have been to, and the routes we took to get there, all thanks to Google Maps' timeline. Because it acts as a sort of X-ray of our travel life, this is extremely important.
Instructions for clearing your Google Maps travel history
As long as you have enabled encrypted backups in Google Maps, Google claims in the email that nothing is lost.
You can accomplish this by simply selecting a backup to import, tapping the cloud icon near the top of the screen, and then going to your timeline. Up to 15 years of your Google Maps timeline may be lost if backups are not enabled.
That is not all, though. You might not be able to recover all of your data, even if you have backup enabled. Users have complained on Reddit and other websites that they can only use backups to recover data from the last few weeks or months.
Over the last few hours, Google has been sending users this email: "We had a brief technical problem that caused some people's timeline data to be erased. Your account might have been impacted, which is why we are reaching out to you. You might be able to recover your data if you have enabled encrypted backups.
Go to Timeline after making sure you have the most recent version of Google Maps installed. To import your data, click the cloud icon at the top of the screen and choose Backup. Unfortunately, you will not be able to recover your lost data if you do not have backups enabled. We are working to enhance our systems going forward because we recognize that using Timeline to recall locations you have visited can be annoying.