Google Maps
What the default settings do
Google Maps now stores Timeline, the record of places you have been, on your device by default rather than in the cloud, and a companion Backup toggle controls whether an encrypted copy also goes to Google’s servers; both are covered in the Google Account guide. Beyond Timeline, Maps quietly builds up other history too: searches, directions, and reviews are recorded as part of your account’s broader activity, with no separate Maps-only switch for it.
Real-time location sharing with specific people is off by default and only starts when you deliberately begin a share, but a share can be set to run indefinitely and is easy to forget about once it is running. If you have saved a Home or Work address for faster directions, those labels sit inside the app and are private to your Google Account, though anyone who picks up your unlocked phone or looks at your screen can see them just as easily as you can.
Maps also has its own Incognito mode, separate from Chrome’s, which is off by default and must be turned on each time you want it for a session.
A reasonable privacy baseline
Most of these settings live inside the Google Maps app itself, reached through your profile picture in the top corner; search and place history are the exception, since they are governed by the account-wide Web & App Activity setting described in the Google Account guide rather than a toggle inside Maps.
Timeline retention
Your Timeline → More → Location & privacy settings → Auto-delete Timeline → 3 months
This is separate from the Timeline Backup toggle: it governs how long Timeline entries are kept, not whether a copy is also backed up. Google's instructions list 3, 18, or 36 months as the available windows, and by default no window is set at all, meaning entries can accumulate on your device indefinitely until you delete them yourself. One caveat: Google's help documentation notes that turning on Timeline Backup requires first turning off auto-delete, so the two are not meant to run at the same time.
Location sharing with other people
Location sharing → New share → choose a duration
Starting a share lets you pick a fixed length of time or select "Until you turn this off" for indefinite sharing, then choose a recipient (they need a Google account). Whoever you share with can see your name and photo, your device's approximate location even when Maps is not open, and your battery level. A fixed duration is a reasonable default for one-off trips, since it ends on its own.
Location sharing → select a person → Stop
It is worth periodically checking your active shares list, since an indefinite share started for one occasion keeps broadcasting your location long after the reason for it has passed unless stopped manually. During active navigation, a share can also be ended from the trip screen itself.
Search and place history
No separate Maps toggle: governed by Web & App Activity (myaccount.google.com → Data & privacy)
Places you search for, directions you look up, and reviews you write are logged as Maps activity, viewable inside the app under Maps activity. But the underlying retention and on/off control is the same Web & App Activity setting that governs history across Search, YouTube, and other services, not a Maps-specific switch. Turning that setting off, or shortening its auto-delete window, reduces Maps history as a side effect rather than something configured separately here.
Incognito mode
Profile picture → Turn on Incognito mode
While active, Maps will not save your searches or browsing to your account, will not update Timeline, and will not use your activity to personalize results, similar in spirit to Chrome's Incognito mode but a completely separate toggle that only affects Maps. It has real limits though: saved places, offline maps, search suggestions, and Timeline are all unavailable while it is on, and Google's documentation is explicit that it does not change how your activity is used or seen by your internet provider, other apps, or other Google services. It also needs to be turned on again each time, rather than persisting as a permanent mode.
Home and work addresses
Your places → Labeled → Home or Work → Remove (or edit to update)
A saved Home or Work address is convenient for one-tap directions, but it is also one of the more sensitive things the app can hold, since it directly identifies where you live or work rather than just where you have been. These labels are private to your Google Account and not visible to other Maps users, but they show up prominently as autocomplete suggestions in the search bar, so anyone who borrows your unlocked phone or sees your screen during a call or screen-share can find them in a couple of taps. If that is a concern, removing the label (or saving the address unlabeled) is a reasonable middle ground.
Trade-offs
- Setting a short Timeline auto-delete window means older trips are gone for good, and you cannot run auto-delete and Timeline Backup at the same time, so you may need to choose one or switch between them.
- Fixed-duration location shares need to be restarted for each new trip, while indefinite shares stay on until you remember to stop them, which is the more common way location ends up shared longer than intended.
- Because Maps search and place history rides on the account-wide Web & App Activity setting, you cannot limit Maps history without also affecting personalization in Search, YouTube, and other Google services.
- Incognito mode disables saved places, offline maps, and search suggestions for the session, and it does not hide your activity from your internet provider or other Google services, so it is a narrower protection than it may sound.
- Removing or not labeling a Home or Work address means retyping the full address each time you want directions there, trading a small amount of convenience for reduced exposure if someone else looks at your phone.
Who should not change these settings
- If you rely on Google Maps Timeline as a personal travel log, keep auto-delete off or set to a longer window; the Google Account guide covers the Backup side of this trade-off in more depth.
- If you regularly coordinate with family or a partner using ongoing location sharing for safety or convenience, indefinite sharing is a reasonable and common choice; just periodically confirm who still has access.
- If Maps recommendations and autocomplete being tailored to your history matters to you, there is no need to shorten Web & App Activity retention purely for Maps’ sake.
- If you are the only person who ever uses your phone and never share your screen, the exposure risk from saved Home and Work addresses is low, and removing them may not be worth the lost convenience.
- If you use Incognito mode expecting it to hide your trips from Google entirely, know that it only stops that activity from being saved to your account; it is not a complete privacy shield.