HIGHLIGHTS
- Incognito mode was already there for Android users of Google Maps
- Users won’t see personalised features like recommendations
- Places you search for or navigate to won’t be saved to your account
Google has started rolling out “Incognito” mode to iOS to stop searches or places a user navigates to in Maps from being saved to their Google account. Users won’t see personalised features within the app like a restaurant recommendation when the incognito mode is on.
It works much the same as it does with Android. Simply open Google Maps, tap on profile photo, and select “Turn on Incognito mode”. While Incognito mode is on, the user won’t receive personalised suggestions or notifications.
“Incognito mode on iOS works the same way it does on Android. While in Incognito mode, the places you search for or navigate to won’t be saved to your Google Account and you won’t see personalised features within Maps, like restaurant recommendations based on dining spots you’ve been to previously. Using Incognito mode on your phone will not update your Location History, so the places you go won’t be saved to your Timeline,” Marlo McGriff Product Manager, Google Maps said in a statement.
Additionally, US based search engine giant also announced that it will roll out the ability for Android users to bulk-delete information from their Google Maps timeline and location history, next month. According to the statement, Google Maps Timeline keeps a record of the places and routes a person has visited.
“With bulk delete, you can quickly find and delete multiple places from your Timeline and Location History all at once. You’ll still have the ability to delete all or part of your Timeline by date range from your Location History settings,” McGriff added.
Google has also said that Location History is off by default, and users can choose to delete all or part of their history automatically when they turn it on. The company detailed about the steps that it has taken to give more control over their location history.
“We introduced auto-delete controls so you can choose to keep only three or 18 months’ worth of data—anything older than that will be automatically deleted. Your Data in Maps lets you quickly access your Location History and other privacy controls with just a few taps,” Google mentioned.
