Google Maps users devastated after accidental error wipes 'years of memories'

You might well be one of the many Google Maps users who have lost years of memories in a devastating accident, as an update to its 'Timeline' feature has mistakenly wiped the data from some individuals' accounts.

If you're unaware, Timelines in Google Maps allows users to save specific locations that they've visited or journeys that they've taken to look back on as 'memories' of sorts, and you can even link these with pictures that you've taken and people too.

You might want to head back to the coffee shop where you had your first date with your partner, or that amazing holiday that you vowed you'd never forget. It can even be useful for simple things like remembering a great restaurant in a place you commonly visit, so having all this information at your fingertips is extremely useful.

Google have currently been going through the process of updating the Timeline feature on all devices, and it previously sent out an email to users warning them that they had until a certain point before all of their data would be deleted.

Many users have reported that their Google Maps Timeline data has been erased entirely, losing potentially years of memories (Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Unfortunately for many, there's a good chance that you've lost all your data regardless of whether you followed the email's guidelines, as a technical error has caused Timeline data to be completely wipes for countless Google Maps users.

As reported by the Metro, one user revealed on the r/GooglePixel subreddit that they were indeed one of the unlucky people to suffer from Google's mistake.

"Got this email now from Google Maps," they reveal, which outlined to them that their account "may have been impacted" by the technical error.

"We understand that this can be frustrating if you use Timeline to remember places that you've visited, and we are taking steps to improve our systems for the future," the message from the Timeline team explains.

Then, upon checking their Timeline memories, "lo and behold, I've only got the last fortnight of Timeline history. This after being asked to move Timeline to a specific device, and they mess it up further. Years of travel and places gone. Cheers Google."

Many have cathartically shared similar experiences in the comments below, with one user illustrating that they "got the same email except everything up until yesterday is gone. Years of travel and memories."

"This p***ed me off so much I was close to quitting Google and Pixel altogether," one even reveals, adding that they "had timeline data as far back as 2012/13."

Some users have outlined that it is possible to get the lost data back if you managed to activate backups, but it seems to be a bit hit and miss.

"Even though I had the deleted timeline issue, and the back up available said it was from yesterday, restoring the backup restored my timeline," explains the top comment.

To see if you too can salvage your lost memories, all you need to do is ensure you have the latest version of Google Maps, and then head into the Timeline section. From there, select the cloud icon, and hopefully there should be a backup available for you to select and restore from.