Google Maps' location tracking feature (formally known as “Timeline”) is changing. It was previously announced that Timeline would switch to local storage in the future, and now an email has been sent to users warning that this change will happen soon.

While the switch from cloud to local storage is undoubtedly a good thing, the downside of the switch is that Google will erase all but the last three months of your timeline in the process. Unless, of course, you intervene to stop the mass erasure.

According to Android Authority, some of these emails state that the important change will take place on November 19, while others state that it will not take place until December 1. With that in mind, if you want to save your data, it would be in your best interest to do so immediately. The good news is that this process is quite simple.

Those who receive the alert email from Google Maps will find a link at the bottom to review the ongoing timeline setup. This includes an option to save all timeline data indefinitely, no matter how old it is, or until they choose to erase it themselves. There is also an option to automatically delete all data after three months, which I have used for many years.

If you have never received such an email, or if you want to ensure that your timeline data is backed up, you have another option: Android Authority reports that despite explicitly asking Google not to delete the data Given that some users have had their data deleted,

go to takeout.google.com and uncheck all options except Location History (Timeline). From there click Next Steps > Create Export and you will get a backup copy of all your stored location history. Google also appears to be rolling out individual device-specific export buttons, hidden in the Location Services menu.

However, this seems to anticipate that location history will be moved to the user's device rather than the cloud. This makes sense, as data cannot be downloaded from the web unless it is stored in the cloud.