Of All The Features Google Has Killed, I Will Miss This One The Most

As I opened Google Maps today and went to check my Timeline, I got the dreaded notification that my Timeline is going away — at least in its current server-hosted form. Instead, Google is switching to a phone-centric Timeline where your whereabouts are saved on your Android phone, not on a black box somewhere in Google’s server farm, for privacy reasons.

While I completely understand and agree with the benefits of exercising more privacy, especially when it comes to my personal location (which could reveal my home address, darkest habits, secrets detrimental to my personal or professional life, or even tidbits for my health insurance that I don’t want to reveal), I still can’t help but mourn the loss of Timeline as we knew it. It has been a simple, useful at times, delightful at others, Google feature, and I will miss it a lot.