Google has recently introduced a new ‘Timeline’ feature for Maps, which will help users to remember places where they have visited. The new feature will soon be accessible to all the devices, on the Timeline and will give more control to the user over the data. The new feature is powered by a Location History setting.
In a blog post which was put up on Tuesday, Google stated, "If you’re getting a new phone or are worried about losing your existing one, you can always choose to back up your data to the Cloud so it doesn’t get lost. We’ll automatically encrypt your backed-up data so no one can read it, including Google.”
About the new feature: Timeline
Moreover, Google has stated that when you first turn on Location History, the auto-delete control will be set for three months by default, which means any data older than that will be automatically erased.
Earlier, the report stated that the feature was set to 18 months but now the timeline has been rescheduled to 3 months.
Memories on the timeline
People who are interested in saving memories to their Timeline for a longer period, and they can always choose to extend the period or turn off the auto-delete controls altogether.
These changes will eventually roll out through the next year (2024) on Android and iOS, and users will receive a notification when this update will be rolled out to the user, Google stated.
New blue dot controls
Talking about another update, Google has mentioned that the blue dot, which shows where the user is on Google Maps, brings key location controls right to the fingertips.
Users will have to tap it and they will have to see whether the Location History or Timeline settings are turned on and whether they are given Maps access to the location of the device.
When will the new blue dot controls start rolling out?
New blue dot controls will start rolling out in the coming weeks on Android and iOS.
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Inputs from IANS
