Review private locations before sharing a route video

Look beyond the first point

Select only the dates you want to share. Watch for repeated overnight stops, workplace visits and a recognisable journey back home. Enable Protect frequent places in the editor, then compare the route preview. The feature shifts repeated locations; it does not determine with certainty which point is your home, and it can alter visible distances.

Review the exported file too

Use Hide dates if calendar details are unnecessary, and check the title and any photos you include. Watch the downloaded MP4 from start to finish before posting. Nearby roads and recurring patterns may still identify a place. If a segment remains too revealing, exclude those dates or keep the video private instead of relying on a switch alone.

Apply protection and check its limits

1. Import your file and choose the dates. In the editor, enable Protect frequent places before the preview or export.
2. The current implementation selects up to two repeatedly recorded areas and moves nearby route points before map loading and rendering. It uses a fixed area rather than a selectable radius. A location without enough repeated samples may remain unchanged.
3. Preview the beginning, ending and repeat visits, then check the downloaded video. Hiding dates is a separate setting. Titles and photos can still disclose information even when coordinates are moved.
4. Keep the original file private. Protection changes the rendered route, not the source file stored on your device; sharing that original exposes its unmodified data.

What to check

The privacy zone moves repeated points before map loading and rendering, but it can change the visible route and is not a guarantee of anonymity.

• Watch the start, end and repeated stops of the route at full zoom.
• Try the privacy zone and compare the changed preview before sharing.

Further reading

• Google Maps Timeline Help