Google confirmed that it has accidentally deleted the data of the “Timeline Table” for some users in its maps service, a feature that records the date of their movements and their visit places. This confirmation came after complaints published by users on social media platforms, in which they stated that their data had disappeared. In a statement to the “Android Autori” website, Google explained that the technical defect led to the deletion of data, noting that users who have cloud coded backup copies will be able to recover, while those who did not do backup will not be able to restore their lost data.
Some users had received an email from Google, including instructions on how to restore the “schedule” data for those who did cloud backup. Users can verify the activation of this feature by opening the Google Maps application in iOS or Android, then clicking on the personal account icon, and choosing the “Timeline Table” as it appears as a cloud code containing an arrow (which means that the backup is activated), or an oblique line (which means that it is not activated), and the settings can be changed by clicking on the code. It is noteworthy that Google had announced last summer the transfer of site data in Google Maps to local storage in devices instead of its servers, which strengthened privacy, but at the same time increased the risk of data loss suddenly, as happened in this recent technical defect.
Even with Google available the option to export the site record to a file, the guidelines for recovering the “schedule” data does not include a clear way to re -import data without resorting to cloud backup.
