One of the more useful features made possible by enabling Location History on Android is the Google Maps Timeline. In addition to a monthly recap, Google Maps is sending out a “2020 Timeline update” that is obviously impacted by the last 12 months, but still provides useful local stats.
COVID-19 changed the world’s travels in 2020, and how many places people were able to visit. If you were able to travel this year, you can see some of the places you’ve been with the help of this automated Timeline email.
Before providing a “Your visits in 2020” summary, Google first acknowledges the ongoing situation. There’s then a map showing where you traveled with a “Cities” and “Places” count that notes how many are new.
The Google Maps 2020 recap, compared to last year, features a “trends” section. It breaks down the types of places — Shopping, Food & drink, etc. — visited every month in cumulative hours. There’s also a look at how many miles you walked and drove.
Next up are highlights of “Cities visited” and “Places visited,” with locations getting a cover image and Google identifying whether they were new.
This recap ends with Google Maps noting the total distance (in miles) you traveled for 2020 and “Your all times data.”
While we’re already into the new year, Google waits a week or two to send this email out. So far, I’ve only received it on one account, and it should finish rolling out in the coming days. The full Maps Timeline is available on the web and mobile apps (profile avatar > Your Timeline), while it recently came to Google Photos.
More about Google Maps:
- Maps for Android now lets you set an ‘app language’ that differs from device settings
- You can now submit your own Google Maps Street View photos from Android
- Google Maps will let you pin frequent destinations, transit routes with new ‘Go’ tab
- Maps makes business messaging easier for customers and stores alike
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
