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Incognito Mode for Google Maps is now rolling out around the world, just two weeks after Google began closed beta testing. The new option will arrive on Android handsets over the next few weeks, but Google has yet to announce a date for iOS devices.
Activating the new option means that your location history wonât be linked with your profile, stored on your device, or used to âpersonalize your Maps experienceâ. So no requests to rate the cafe where youâre having breakfast, for example, or worries that your significant other will see where you actually were last night.
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[li]Weâve rounded up the best Android apps[/li][li]On a budget? Check our our guide to the best free Android apps[/li][li]Weâve also played and rated the best Android games[/li][/ul]
To activate Incognito Mode for Google Maps, simply tap your profile picture and select the option. If you canât see it yet, you might have to wait a few more days before you can hide yourself away.
Cover your tracks
However, just because Google Maps isnât storing your whereabouts (the company told The Register that it wouldnât be able to turn location data from a device over to law enforcement if Incognito Mode was active), that doesnât mean nobody can tell where youâve been. Fitness tracking apps, for example, often use GPS to track runs and cycle rides, and your camera app might use location data to geotag photos.
Many other apps also request access to your location, and can use it to âpersonalize your experienceâ or sell you targeted ads. To find out which apps on your Android phone have access to location data, open the Settings menu and select Apps, then tap the menu button and select App Permissions > Location.
Here you can approve or deny location access to any app, though bear in mind that denying it might stop an app working properly.
[ul]
[li]Android phones will soon ask you to pick a default search engine â but you might not like the options[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ
Activating the new option means that your location history wonât be linked with your profile, stored on your device, or used to âpersonalize your Maps experienceâ. So no requests to rate the cafe where youâre having breakfast, for example, or worries that your significant other will see where you actually were last night.
[ul]
[li]Weâve rounded up the best Android apps[/li][li]On a budget? Check our our guide to the best free Android apps[/li][li]Weâve also played and rated the best Android games[/li][/ul]
To activate Incognito Mode for Google Maps, simply tap your profile picture and select the option. If you canât see it yet, you might have to wait a few more days before you can hide yourself away.
Cover your tracks
However, just because Google Maps isnât storing your whereabouts (the company told The Register that it wouldnât be able to turn location data from a device over to law enforcement if Incognito Mode was active), that doesnât mean nobody can tell where youâve been. Fitness tracking apps, for example, often use GPS to track runs and cycle rides, and your camera app might use location data to geotag photos.
Many other apps also request access to your location, and can use it to âpersonalize your experienceâ or sell you targeted ads. To find out which apps on your Android phone have access to location data, open the Settings menu and select Apps, then tap the menu button and select App Permissions > Location.
Here you can approve or deny location access to any app, though bear in mind that denying it might stop an app working properly.
[ul]
[li]Android phones will soon ask you to pick a default search engine â but you might not like the options[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ