Google Maps Timeline history missing: what you can still recover

What changed

• Timeline (formerly Location History) is now stored on the device. The web version at timeline.google.com was retired.
• Google gave each user a personal deadline to move their history to a phone; after it, unmigrated web data was deleted.
• In March 2025 Google confirmed a technical issue that deleted Timeline data for some users; those who had encrypted backups turned on could restore them, according to reporting by The Verge and 9to5Google.

1. Restore the cloud backup

In Google Maps: your profile picture › Your Timeline › the cloud icon › pick a backup › Import. This only works if backups were enabled before the data disappeared.

2. Look for old exports

• A Google Takeout zip you downloaded years ago may contain Records.json and Semantic Location History. Search your computer and cloud drives for takeout- and Records.json.
• An old phone that was never reset may still hold its on-device Timeline – export it from there (Settings › Location › Timeline › Export).

3. Merge what you find

Open everything together in Trackmere: old Takeout files and new phone exports are merged and overlapping points counted once, so you get one continuous history again – on a map, by day, and exportable to Excel, GPX or KML.

What can't be recovered

If the web data was deleted and you have no backup or export, it's gone; Trackmere can't fetch anything from Google. To avoid a repeat: turn on encrypted backups in Timeline settings and export your Timeline to a file every few months.