To preserve Google Maps Timeline before changing phones, first confirm that the old phone displays the history you expect. Then turn on Timeline’s separate encrypted backup and import that device’s backup in Google Maps on the replacement phone. Check several older dates on the new phone before you reset, repair, sell or trade in the original. Google’s documented transfer method is the Timeline backup inside Maps, not a general phone backup or phone-to-phone transfer.
Check the old phone before doing anything destructive
Google Maps Timeline saves visits and routes on each signed-in device. When you turn on Timeline backup, Maps stores an encrypted copy on Google’s servers that can be imported to another device. Because Timeline data can be held locally on a device, verify the history on the old phone before making any irreversible changes.
Start on the phone that currently contains the history you want:
- Update the Google Maps app.
- Open Google Maps and confirm that you are using the correct Google Account. If you use several accounts, tap your profile picture or initial and check the email address.
- Tap your profile picture or initial, then Your Timeline.
- Open the calendar and inspect several dates, including a recent date, a date from last year and one of the oldest dates you expect to find.
- Confirm that visits and routes are displayed. Seeing the Timeline menu or a list of cities is not proof that the complete history is present.
On Android, Timeline requires Google Maps version 11.106 or later and is unavailable on Android Go devices. On iPhone and iPad, it requires Maps version 6.93 or later. To keep recording Timeline data on an iPhone or iPad, Google Maps needs Location Services set to Always.
Do not factory-reset the old phone while carrying out these checks. On Android, a factory reset or clearing Google Play services data deletes Timeline data held on that device. On iPhone or iPad, a factory reset or deleting Google Maps deletes that device’s Timeline data.
Enable the encrypted Timeline backup
The essential step is the cloud-shaped backup control within Timeline. This is the Timeline-specific backup that Google documents for moving data to another device. It is separate from iCloud, Google One, an Android device backup and manufacturer transfer tools.
On either Android or iPhone:
- Open Google Maps.
- Tap your profile picture or initial, then Your Timeline.
- Tap the cloud icon in the upper-right corner.
- If auto-delete is on, turn it off. Google requires auto-delete to be off before Timeline backup can be enabled.
- Turn on Backup and confirm the on-screen prompt.
- Return to the backup screen and look under Your backups for the old phone.
Google’s Android guidance says that backup must be enabled separately on each device. If several phones appear under Your backups, note the name of the device that contained the history you inspected. That is the backup to choose during import.
Do not turn on backup immediately before giving away the phone and assume that every entry has already uploaded. Google says that Timeline changes can take a few days to appear in a backup. Keep the old phone powered on, signed in and connected to the internet, then check the backup screen again later. If a trade-in deadline is close, delay erasing the device until the import has been tested.
Auto-delete is also a retention choice. Timeline can automatically delete data older than three, 18 or 36 months. If you want to preserve older travel history, review this setting before moving phones. Backup requires auto-delete to remain off, so do not turn it back on without considering the effect on older Timeline entries.
Import the correct backup on the new phone
Set up the replacement phone, install or update Google Maps and sign in with the same Google Account used on the old phone. A normal phone transfer may still help move apps, photos and settings, but also complete the Timeline import in Google Maps.
- On the new Android phone, iPhone or iPad, open Google Maps.
- Tap your profile picture or initial, then Your Timeline.
- Tap the cloud icon.
- Under Your backups, select the old device that contained the verified history.
- Open that device’s More menu and tap Import.
- On the confirmation screen, tap Import.
The documented process is the same when moving between Android and iPhone: select the old device’s Timeline backup from the cloud screen and import it. If you are also moving your mobile plan, follow a separate guide to transfer an eSIM between iPhone and Android.
After importing, do not only check whether the current day appears. Open the calendar and compare at least three known dates with the old phone. Choose dates from different years and include one with memorable stops or a distinctive journey. If you use them, also check the Places, Cities or World tabs.
Keep the original phone until these checks pass. If history is missing, confirm the Google Account, return to Your backups and make sure that you imported the correct device. Timeline records can differ between devices, and Google says that edits or deletions made on one device are not reflected on other devices.
Export a copy and handle recovery problems
A Timeline export is a useful additional archive, but it is not the same as the encrypted Timeline backup. Google’s documented restore instructions use a device backup listed under Your backups; they do not describe importing an exported file into Maps.
On Android, open Settings, then go to Location, Location services, Timeline and Export Timeline data. Tap Continue, select a storage location and tap Save. On iPhone or iPad, open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, choose Settings, Personal content and Export Timeline data, then save the file through the iOS share sheet. Google names the iPhone and iPad export location-history.json.
Store an export somewhere other than the phone being replaced, such as an encrypted computer folder or a trusted cloud-storage account. Treat it as sensitive: detailed location records can reveal homes, workplaces, routines and trips. An export can preserve a personal archive, but it should not replace the backup-and-import process.
If the old phone is already unavailable, work through these options:
- A Timeline backup is listed: Select it on the new phone and use Import.
- Another signed-in device still has the history: Open Timeline there, verify the dates and enable its backup before resetting or deleting anything.
- You previously made a manual export: Preserve the file as an archive. Google does not document it as a file that can be imported back into Timeline.
- No device or Timeline backup contains the history: Google’s documented recovery route is unavailable, and data that existed only on an erased device may not be recoverable.
If you see the message “Your encrypted data is locked on this device,” use the device that originally encrypted the backups. Open its Timeline backup screen and re-enter the Google Account password when prompted. Google says that if you no longer have that original device, the available option is to turn off Timeline backups and delete all existing backups. This permanently deletes those backups; it does not recover them.
Only erase, trade in or release the original phone for repair after the replacement device shows several verified historical dates and the expected old-device backup is visible. If either check fails, stop the reset and keep troubleshooting while the original Timeline data remains accessible.
