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See Where You've Been With 'Your Timeline' in Google Maps

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Forget the name of the awesome bar or restaurant you went to a few weeks back? Now you can consult Google Maps to help jog your memory.

A handy new Maps feature called Your Timeline, announced Tuesday, lets you look back at the places you've been on a given day, month, or year.

Your Timeline in Google Maps"Your Timeline allows you to visualize your real-world routines, easily see the trips you've taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time," Google Product Manager Gerard Sanz wrote in a blog post. If you use Google Photos, your Timeline will also show any images you took when viewing a specific day.

To quell any privacy fears about this new feature, Google promised that Your Timeline is "private and visible only to you." You can control the locations and choose which to keep, meaning you can easily delete a day or your full history at any time. You can also delete individual places that appear in Your Timeline, or give a frequented spot a private name, like "Mom's House."

Your Timeline is rolling out now, so if you don't see it right away just sit tight. The feature is available on the desktop and Android, but you can only access it if you've opted in to store your Location History with Google. Head over to My Account to access and manage your Location History, and all other Google privacy settings.

"We hope you find Your Timeline a valuable and helpful tool as you explore the world around you," Sanz wrote.

Meanwhile, Google also recently added a new Maps feature that lets you quickly beam directions from your desktop to your phone.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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