If you are using Google Now on your Android smartphone, you obviously are aware that Google tracks your location. Now, it is turning that data into a new feature called “Your Timeline”.
Your Timeline, announced today, remembers places you visit and the road you took to get there and allows you to “visualize your real-world routines”. You can see places you have been and the location where you spend your time.
It has Google’s typical app design and Your Timeline shows up in a nice & scrollable format. Along with the location, it even pulls in relevant photos you might have taken using the Google Photos app.
You can edit any place that appears in Your Timeline, including removing a specific location or giving a frequented spot a private name. The feature is currently available for access on web and on Android.
Google notes that this data is all private to you and you can delete it all at any time. You can also turn off location history in your Google settings at anytime.
There are several social media apps like Foursquare and Swarm that checks-in the place you are at but don’t confuse yourself considering this Google’s new feature as a social feature as you are the only one who will be able to see your data.
This just reminds that how much of your data Google has when you use its services with default settings. If you are okay using Google Now and other Google services, this feature might be useful, but if you are a privacy-concerned person, you may want to disable this feature.
Here is the feature explanation from the Google Maps team:
Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you’ve been — whether it’s a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled upon a few months ago? Well, starting today, Google Maps can help. We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year. Your Timeline allows you to visualize your real-world routines, easily see the trips you’ve taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.
