Google is sending out slightly creepy Maps Timeline recaps

Google Maps
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Keep an eye on your inbox, because Google is sending '2019 Timeline Update' recaps to its users, reminding you of all the great trips you enjoyed over the last 12 months, and possibly shocking you with the sheer amount of location data your phone has been gathering over that time.

As 9to5Google explains, the report is generated by Google's Location History Tracking, which also helps the Google Maps app provide handy tips about your daily commute and real-time traffic updates.

You may already receive a similar monthly recap regularly, but the annual report is more interesting, presenting you with a personalized map of all the places you visited in 2019 broken down into countries, cities and specific places (like tourist attractions or shops, for example).

Where have you been?

You also get stats showing how far you walked and travelled by vehicle (which could be handy if you're trying to get more active or cut your carbon emissions) and your total distance travelled as a percentage of the circumference of the world. 

Not received the report yet? Keep an eye on your inbox; it appears they're being generated and sent in batches.

If you find all this rather spooky, the email also contains a handy link to your Location History settings, where you can choose to pause it, or have Google delete your history after a few months.

You can also do this by going to Location History in your Google account settings and adjusting your Activity Controls.

Cat Ellis

Cat is the editor of TechRadar's sister site Advnture. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better)