Google Maps’ Your Timeline shows where you’ve been at any given time

As usual with Google updates, this is a staged rollout so it may take a while for the update to hit your device via the Play Store.

Google frames the option as a way to remember the bar you stumbled across the other day, and all slightly-too-close-to-home jokes about Google’s creepiness aside, I can actually see the uses for Timeline: recalling what you did whilst blackout drunk will be easier, for a start. Selecting this will pull up a very detailed view of your travels, plotting out locations and places on a map, how much time you’ve spent there, and even photos you took while there. Well, starting today, Google Maps can help.

Not scared? Leave it on and retrace your steps to that bar you forgot about.

It’s inspiring – in a insane sort of way – to consider how efficient Google can be in keeping track of information about you. You’re also welcome to turn off Location History in your Google settings at any time, should you have it enabled and want to remove it. “This spot will then appear right in Google Maps when you’re logged in”. For example, Google could remind you of your trip to the urologist for a prostate exam, the restaurant where your girlfriend dumped you, or the outing to the mortuary for a family member’s funeral. We suppose this could be helpful if you can’t remember the location of a new eatery you visited or something along those lines, but we think this especially useful for tracking possible cheating spouses (we’re looking at you Ashley Madison users).

Do you find it creepy that Google is tracking and compiling lists of the locations you visit?