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This Is Us
Google Maps Basically Thinks I’m Dead
The app stopped tracking me on March 10, 2020 — and I’m lost without it
My timeline stops on March 10, 2020.
That sounds so futuristic to say. Like I’m some kind of Sarah Connor and that’s the date pinpointed by time travelers to snuff me out before I get pregnant with the leader of the resistance. Or to make sure I get pregnant? I don’t know. My Terminator knowledge is fuzzy at best, and there’s no one here to ask but my cat. I could look it up, but the last thing I want to do while sitting alone in the epicenter of a global pandemic is Google the robot uprising.
One dystopian hellscape at a time, please.
To clarify, my Google Maps Timeline stops on March 10 at a WeWork on the corner of 31st and Park Avenue. What does that mean? Well, apparently, I turned on “Location History” at some point, and now I receive these periodic updates via email with the total miles I’ve traveled by foot, train, or car along with highlights of the places I’ve been, sights seen.
I could turn it off, but that would require reading the email to figure out how. I never paid much attention to the updates, let alone clicked on the big blue “Explore Timeline” button in the middle of the message. I didn’t need a…
