Google Maps is bringing THESE 5 privacy-focused upgrades on Android and iOS. Here's what you should know

Technology

Google Maps is bringing THESE 5 privacy-focused upgrades on Android and iOS. Here’s what you should know – Crypto News

Published

2 years ago

December 13, 2023

Dripp

Google Maps has announced a slew of privacy-focused features in order to provide users more control over their personal information. The Mountain View, California-based company said that these new features will roll out to Android and iOS users gradually over the next year and users will receive a notification when this update is available for their account.

In a blogpost about the new features coming to Maps, Google wrote, “Your location information is personal. We’re committed to keeping it safe, private and in your control… So you can spend less time worrying about your data, and more time exploring new places, getting where you need to go or hanging out with friends — all with the help of Maps.”

1) More control over location data:

Google on Tuesday said that it will soon start saving user’s location data right on their device which is touted to give users more control over their their data. Notably, the location history setting is turned off by default and users will have the ability to delete all or parts of their their location timeline at anytime or disable the setting entirely.

2) End-to-end encryption on cloud:

Google says that users can backup their location data to the cloud in order to protect it from getting lost and the data stored on the cloud will be end-to-end encrypted which means no one other than the end user will be able to access this information. The Android maker says this feature will be especially handy to users who are getting a new phone or are at a risk of losing their existing device.

3) Changes to location history policy:

Google has announced that it will now set a default timeline of three months for auto-deletion of Location History which means any data older than that would be deleted automatically as compared to the 18 months timeline which was set previously. However, users will have the option to increase the period of location history or turn off the auto-delete settings.

4) Delete all data related to a specific location:

Google Maps users will soon be able to delete all information related to their recent activity for a specific place on Maps with a few simple steps.

While Google still provided the option to remove the location data in the Maps app but the new settings will provide users with the ability to remove the related Google Web and App Activity all at once, reported The Verge.

5) Changes to blue dot:

Google said that blue dot on the Maps app which showed location of users as of yet will now also allow them take a look at some key privacy settings. Tapping on the blue dot will now all users to see if their Location History or Timeline settings are turned on if they have given Maps access to their device’s location.go

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Published: 13 Dec 2023, 02:37 PM IST