Google knows where you’ve been, what you did last summer

If you've got an Android phone, a Gmail account, use Google Maps or any other Google application or service on your phone, the search giant probably knows where you've been.

By Alex Choros

If you've got an Android phone, a Gmail account, use Google Maps or any other Google application or service on your phone, the search giant probably knows where you've been.

A little known part of Google Maps lets users see what Google knows about them. To see this information, you must be signed into the Google account linked to your phone or most commonly used with Google's services.

Location history may appear immediately for some, but others may need to toggle "Show" from 1 Day to 30 Days. This will display all location data from the month. The page in question also gives users the option to delete location history from a certain day, period or entirely. 

If Google doesn't have any data on you, it's most likely because you haven't signed into Google Maps or enabled location services on your phone (or you’re not seen as a threat to the Google empire).

Google have provided official instructions on how to turn off location tracking in your Google account and apps. These can be read here.