Google Maps Unveils Exclusive Privacy-Focused Features and Enhancements to the 'Blue Dot' Functionality

Google Maps is a vital part of our daily lives, whether for travelling to a new location, seeing how crowded a restaurant is, or simply scouting an area before visiting it with the Street View feature. Most Google Maps functions rely on location data. While the firm has ensured you have control over it with options like incognito mode and auto-delete, the search giant is now doubling down on offering users more control. In a new blog post, Google claims it adds the ability to keep your location timeline on your device, erase activity from specific locations, and press the blue dot in Maps to check information like whether location history is enabled and what access Google Maps has.

Encrypted Online Backups and On-Device Timelines

This function ensures that your timeline is saved directly on your device, giving you greater data control. You can still delete it or sections of it or disable it as previously. However, Google will now preserve up to three months of timeline data by default, though this can be expanded. You can also select to create an encrypted backup to save online, which will not count against your Google account storage.

Delete Activity Associated With Specific Locations

As you might expect, this allows users to remove visits to a given location, searches, and even instructions. This will be available to Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.

The Blue Dot Is Now Functional

The blue dot shows you where you are on maps, but it now provides location-based control straight to your fingertips. "Just tap it, and at a glance, you'll see whether your Location History or Timeline settings are turned on and whether you've given Maps access to your device's location," Google wrote in a blog post. This, too, will be available to iOS and Android users in the coming weeks.