Ask A Tech Geek July 15

Welcome to today’s Ask a Tech Geek. There has been talk about how our smart phones track us. Today we will cover the questions about Google Location History.

What it Google Location? Can I turn it off? How do I manage my Google Location History? Can I delete it?

With every mobile device, Google use location to help you maneuver around websites so that you can locate the store near you. They use it to help navigate you to where you want to be. One thing every movement you make with your mobile device is logged and recorded in your Location History.

Now Google give you the option to turn off your location app and also gives you the opportunity to delete all or part of your history. You even have the option to auto delete after so many months.

Google Location History is a great way to remember where you were if you need to back track or if you have to prove that you were somewhere at a certain time and date.

There is no better way to explain how to manage, turn off and use Google Locate History then to share the following from Google Support.  It will cover “How to” with both android Map App and website access.

Each link will take you to your area of Google Location History as long as you are logged into your Google account.

Manage your Location History

Location History is a Google Account–level setting that saves where you go with every mobile device where:

  • You’re signed in to your Google Account,
  • You have turned on Location History, and
  • The device has Location Reporting turned on.

When you turn on Location History, you may see a number of benefits across Google products and services, including personalized maps, recommendations based on places you’ve visited, help finding your phone, real-time traffic updates about your commute, and more useful ads.

  • Location History is turned off by default for your Google Account and can only be turned on if you opt in.
  • You can pause Location History at any time in your Google Account’s Activity controls.
  • You control what’s saved in your Location History. You can view the places where you’ve been in Google Maps Timeline, and you can edit or delete information through Timeline as well.

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 8.0 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.

Turn Location History on or off

You can turn off Location History for your account at any time. If you use a work or school account, your administrator needs to make this setting available for you. If they do, you’ll be able to use Location History as any other user.

  1. Go to the “Location History” section of your Google Account.
  2. Choose whether your account or your devices can report Location History to Google.
    • Your account and all devices: At the top, turn Location History on or off.
    • Only a certain device: Under “This device” or “Devices on this account,” turn the device on or off.

When Location History is on

  • Google only receives Location History for each device where you are signed in and you have Location Reporting turned on.
  • You can change the Location Reporting setting for each device where you’re signed in, and limit which devices provide location data to be included in Location History. If you want to change your Location History settings, you can choose to:
    • Report your location from only some of your devices, but not others.
    • Report your location from all your devices.
    • Turn off Location History for your Google Account. Your location won’t be reported from any of your devices and you will not have new Location History recorded to your account.
  • Your settings for other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device, are not changed.

When Location History is off

  • New location information is no longer saved to your Location History.
  • Previous activity is not deleted from your Location History. You can manually delete your Location History.
  • Your settings for other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device, are not changed.
  • Some location data may continue to be saved in other settings, like Web & App Activity, as part of your use of other services, like Search and Maps, even after you turn off Location History.

Delete Location History

You can manage and delete your Location History information with Google Maps Timeline. You can choose to delete all of your history, or only parts of it.

Important: When you delete Location History information from Timeline, you won’t be able to see it again.

Use the Google Maps app

Delete all Location History

  1. On your Android device, open the Google Maps app Maps.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then Your Timeline Timeline.
  3. In the top right, tap More More and then Settings and privacy.
  4. Under “Location settings,” tap Delete all Location History.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Delete a range of Location History

  1. On your Android device, open the Google Maps app Maps.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then Your Timeline Timeline.
  3. Tap More Moreand then Settings and privacy.
  4. Under “Location settings,” tap Delete Location History range.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Delete a day from Location History

  1. On your Android device, open the Google Maps app Maps.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then Your Timeline Timeline.
  3. Tap Show calendar Show calendar.
  4. Select which day you want to delete.
  5. Tap More Moreand then Delete day.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Delete a stop from Location History

  1. On your Android device, open the Google Maps app Maps.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then Your Timeline Timeline.
  3. Tap Show calendar Show calendar.
  4. Select the day with a stop you want to delete.
  5. Tap the stop you want to delete and then Delete Delete .
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Use a web browser

Delete all Location History

  1. In your web browser, open your Google Maps Timeline.
  2. Tap Delete Delete .
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Delete a day from Location History

  1. In your web browser, open your Google Maps Timeline.
  2. Choose a year, month, and day you want to delete.
  3. Tap Delete Delete .
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Delete a stop from Location History

  1. In your web browser, open your Google Maps Timeline.
  2. Choose a year, month, and day you want to delete.
  3. Next to the stop you want to delete, tap More Moreand then Remove stop from day.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Automatically delete your Location History

You can choose to automatically delete Location History that’s older than 3 months or 18 months.

Use the Google Maps app

  1. On your Android device, open the Google Maps app Maps.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then Your Timeline Timeline.
  3. At the top right, tap More Moreand then Settings and privacy.
  4. Scroll to “Location settings.”
  5. Tap Automatically delete Location History.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Use a web browser

  1. In your web browser, open your Google Maps Timeline
  2. At the bottom right, click Settings Settings icon and then Automatically delete Location History
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions. 

What happens after you delete some or all Location History

If you delete some or all of your Location History, some personalized experiences across Google may be degraded or lost. For example:

  • Albums in Google Photos automatically created from places you’ve visited
  • Recommendations based on places you’ve visited
  • Real-time information about the best time to leave for home or work in order to beat the traffic

Important: If you have other settings like Web & App Activity turned on and you pause Location History or delete location data from Location History, you may still have location data saved in your Google Account as part of your use of other Google sites, apps, and services. For example, location data may be saved as part of activity on Search and Maps when your Web & App Activity setting is on, and included in your photos depending on your camera app settings.

Usage & diagnostics for Location History

When you turn on Location History, your device may send diagnostic information to Google about what’s working and not working for Location History. If you turn Location History off, you can decide whether to share usage and diagnostics information.

All usage and diagnostics information is used in accordance with Google’s privacy policy.What information your device could share

Your device may send information to Google to help improve Location History. For example, sent information could include:

  • Quality and length of your connections to mobile networks, GPS, Wi-Fi networks, or Bluetooth
  • State of your location settings
  • Restarts and crash reports
  • Apps used to turn Location History on or off
  • Battery levels

How shared information helps Google improve

Usage and diagnostics information can help improve Google apps, products, and Android devices. For example, Google can use information to improve:

  • Battery life: Google can use information about what’s using the most battery on your device to help reduce battery consumption for commonly used features.
  • Location accuracy: Google can use information from location sensors and settings to help improve location estimates for apps and services.

Learn more about other location settings

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