STOP GOOGLE MAPS spying on you
Want to find your way around without being followed? Robert Irvine explains how to either make Google Maps less nosy or switch to a more private mapping service
Switch Google Maps to incognito mode
Many Google Maps users don’t realise that the app (though not the website) has a special incognito mode. Similar to the feature in Chrome, this prevents Maps from saving details of your browsing and search history to your Google account, and using your activity to personalise what you see – such as restaurant recommendations and advice about your commute.
Incognito mode also stops Google updating your Location History and showing notifications from Maps. Less usefully, it disables the option to download maps to explore offline.
To switch to incognito mode in the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture in the top-right corner and select ‘Turn on incognito mode’ (see screenshot below). This will relaunch the app to show an ‘Incognito mode turned on’ confirmation message, and the incognito hat-and-glasses symbol in place of your profile icon.
To exit the mode, tap this symbol and choose ‘Turn off incognito mode’.
It’s important to note that while incognito mode stops Google Maps storing your data, it doesn’t hide your activity from your mobile network, other apps on your device and other Google services.