DAILY MAIL
Three lists on your phone that show EVERYTHING Google knows about you
- Everything Google knows about you can be laid bare with a few simple clicks
- Stay tech-savvy with Kim’s free newsletter – over 400K people do. Sign up here
Everything Google knows about you can be laid bare with a few simple clicks on your smartphone or computer.
It goes far beyond where you live, your age, your interests and your favorite stores – the search engine knows more than some of the people closest to you.
Google Maps knows all the countries, cities, attractions and local routes you’ve ever visited. And its Ad Personalization system uses your search history, browsing data and screen time to generate.
So use our guide to access three creepy lists that may reveal you to yourself:
Google Maps knows all the countries, cities and attractions you’ve visited
If you have Location History enabled on your Google account, take a trip down memory lane with the Google Maps Timeline.
This feature lets you see exactly where you traveled in the past, down to the specific time and route you took to get there.
● Log into your Google account, then open Google Maps.
● Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner.
● Choose Your Timeline > Your Places > Visited.
● Open the Google Maps app.
● Tap your profile or initials > Your Timeline.
Now that you’ve walked down memory lane, you might want to rethink your settings.
● On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps Timeline. Tap Settings > Pause Location History.
● On your Android, open Google Maps, tap on your profile or initial and select Your Timeline > More > Settings and privacy. Turn Location History off.
● If you’re on a computer, go to Timeline, click Settings > Pause Location History.
Location data of every photo you’ve taken
Location tracking in the Google Photos app comes down to metadata — the hidden data embedded within the pictures you take.
If you don’t turn off location tracking for images, your photos reveal where you were when you took them, among other things.
Whether or not you want to turn off location tracking, you should first see all the data Google Photos has collected.
