You should update Google Maps right now

Google is rolling out a big change to Google Maps that will impact millions of Aussies – and you should act soon.

Google is making a big change to its popular Google Maps app. Picture: iStock

Google is making a big change to Google Maps in response to concerns about its gathering and use of personal information.

The tech giant first revealed in December last year that it was making changes to the Google Maps Timeline feature, which is a “personal map that helps you remember routes and trips you’ve taken and places you’ve been based on your Location History”.

My Timeline goes back a few years and shows I’ve visited places across Australia’s eastern seaboard as well as a few countries overseas.

My Google Maps Timeline showing the places I’ve visited. Picture: Supplied

It's handy for remembering where you’ve been and for working out how far you’ve travelled. You can make edits and deletions to the Timeline.

However, things are about to change.

Australian Google users who have their Location History turned on – a number that’s likely in the millions because it is turned on by default – will soon have the Timeline data saved on their device, rather than the cloud.

Google says this will give people more control over their data. People will still retain the ability to delete information and disable the setting.

Under the changes, you can still opt in to backing up the data on the cloud, where it will be encrypted so that not even Google can read it.

Google will make the settings default to auto-delete the location data after three months, compared to a previous option of 18 months. The setting can be extended for longer and auto-delete can be disabled.

Google is making a big change to the Google Maps Timeline. Picture: iStock

Google will notify people when the update is rolled out to their account.

Transitioning the data to your device means you won’t be able to access it through the web. If you don’t make changes to your settings, Google will delete anything older than the most recent 90 days of travel history.

That means users who want to save their older data should check their settings ASAP.

To do so, open Google Maps, click on your profile picture and select Your Timeline. You can choose to keep your data or select an auto-delete setting. You have until December 1 to change your settings or risk losing the data.

As part of the changes, people will also be able to delete activity related to specific places.

Google explained it as: “Say you’re planning a surprise birthday party, and you get directions to a nearby bakery to pick up the cake. Soon, you’ll be able to see all your recent activity on Maps related to the bakery in one central place, and easily delete your searches, directions, visits, and shares with just a few taps. The ability to delete place-related activity from Maps starts rolling out on Android and iOS in the coming weeks.”

There’s also a change to the “blue dot”, which shows where you are on the map.

As part of the update, when you tap the blue dot, it will show your Location History, Timeline and access settings.

Google says it is committed to keeping user data “safe, private and in your control”, which is in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in Australia’s Privacy Act 1988.

As news.com.au reported last year, the government is planning major changes to Australia’s privacy framework to align regulations with “global standards of information privacy protection and properly protect Australians’ privacy”.

The proposals include a shift towards the stricter European Union-style approach to data privacy, such as “rights to object, to request erasure and to have search results de-indexed.”

A bill could go before parliament this year.