Google Maps is making it clear that user information control should be more prioritized than ever. The new updates of the most used geolocation service in the world, which open new ways to handle privacy, along with the improvements in Artificial Intelligence that are being worked on, reveal Google’s interest in having users feel their private data is under control.
Google Maps has been on billions of mobile devices around the world for over a decade, so any improvement made to this service has a huge impact.
Improvements in privacy and data management
Regarding the important privacy improvements that Google has made in recent weeks, one notable example is the ability to schedule Google to delete your location history up to 3 months in advance, a much shorter period than the previous limit of 18 months. This way, you can leave a much shorter digital footprint on Google Maps with this option enabled.
The way Google manages information has also changed. Previously, this information was stored in the cloud and automatically synchronized with all connected devices. Now, this information will be stored on the device that records those trips, and you can choose whether to synchronize that history with other devices or only have it on your mobile without synchronizing it on other devices such as tablets, PCs, or similar.
Advances in location and new design
The real-time location, a feature widely used by users, can also be used from Google Maps through Google Contacts, being able to do without third-party services that other applications provide. In this way, the aim is to improve the efficiency of users when they need Maps functions.
This is in addition to the radical design change that Maps made last September, in which the color palette was completely changed to opt for a more minimalist, cool, and corporate tones. The new design has as many supporters as detractors, but there is no doubt that it has been a very striking way to make it clear that Google Maps is evolving.
