- You can choose to delete location data after three months or 18 months.
- Follow the steps below to learn how to have Google regularly delete your location data.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Google keeps a list of everywhere you go — here's how to automatically delete it on a regular basis (GOOGL)
Google recently launched the ability to automatically delete your location history from Google Maps after a certain period of time.
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If you're an avid Google Maps user, there's a good chance that the search giant knows a lot about where you've been.
Google tracks your whereabouts to provide accurate information that's specific to your location, such as search results for places that are in your city. But you might not always want to share your whereabouts with Google, and remembering to delete your location data manually can be a daunting task.
The good news is you no longer have to. Google recently launched a feature that makes it possible to automatically delete location data after three or 18 months. The move comes as concerns over the way tech giants like Google and Facebook handle user data is being increasingly scrutinized. Last year, for example, Google came under fire after The Associated Press reported that the company stores location data on mobile devices even when the "Location History" setting was paused.
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See below to learn how to automatically delete your location history from Google.
Read more: I've been using Apple's new iPad software for the past week here are my 5 favorite things about it so far
Launch the Google Maps app.
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Tap the three lines stacked on top of one another in the upper-left corner of the screen.
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Tap the option that says "Your timeline."
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Press the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
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Then tap "Settings."
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Scroll down to "Location settings" and choose "Automatically delete Location History."
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Choose either "Keep for 18 months" or "Keep for 3 months" to tell Google to automatically wipe your location history after a designated period of time.
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SEE ALSO: 11 incredibly useful Google Maps features everyone should know about
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