S25 Ultra: Google Timeline not recording history

[DS2025]

This seems to be a common issue on other forums, particularly Google, but there are no real answers so far.

Issue occurs when Samsung Smart Switch is used to move from an older Galaxy to an S25 (I have ultra, but I think it may occur with both the S25 and S25 Ultra).

Symptoms:  Location is turned on, and seems to work properly.  In Maps, you can see the blue dot moving as you move, but in Timeline, there is no NEW activity listed since the transfer from the old phone.  Timeline is turned on, Maps has needed permissions.  The only "fix" (which is not any sort of fix!) is to do a factory reset on the phone and then start over not using Smart Switch.

It seems that something Smart Switch has done with the data has somehow blocked Timeline from saving new data.

[BalliD]

I would like to add that there are a few additional fixes out there. However i tried them all and none seem to work.

1. I removed all google accounts + restar phone + sign in again + download history - this did not help

2. Clear cache + clear memory - did not help

3. Remove all updates from Google Maps - did not help. Also tried after removing all updates (and not updating) and tried updating the app - which also did not work.

4. Yesterday we got a system update - i was hoping for this to fix the issue - did not work. 

I would be happy to hear from samsung if there is a TRUE fix planned.

(I also have the S25 Ultra)

[Tom6068]

Would it not be better to check if the settings in your Google account changed or maybe delete all of the timeline data from Google instead of resetting the phone back to factory settings. Opening Maps, then clicking on your profile avatar will open those options. I do not see performing a reset fixing the issue as all of that data is stored in Google's servers. So when you put your Google account info into the phone again, that data will repopulate.

[BalliD]

no changes were detected in my Google account.

I have also tried deleting all the data locally (deleting from all devices or server would mean that i would loose all past information).

Factory reset is not really an option as earlier said.

BTW, the data is not automatically populated - it has to be downloaded from earlier backup (which is stored on google servers but it attached to a specific device.

[DS2025]

There was a rolling change around the end of 2024 where Google moved the timeline data onto a specific phone, as local data. You can then turn on a timeline backup, which periodically back up the local data to an encrypted backup on the Google cloud (rather than a database on the cloud). If you do a Google Takeout of timeline data now, you will find it has no data, just a txt file stating that there is encrypted data in the cloud (the backups)

[uservpnwYJ8bID]

I am having the same issues. I moved from an S20 Ultra to an S25 Ultra. My S20 Ultra is still able to record timeline information, but my S25 Ultra is unable to. I have uninstalled/reinstalled maps, cleared data and cache, etc. The only thing I have not done yet is a factory reset. 

[vits]

After updating Google Maps to version that came out 25.2., Timeline started working by itself. I have all records from 26.2. onwards. Seems the issue was identified and fixed. So glad I did not have to factory reset and just gave it time.

[DS2025 · Accepted solution]

Mine is now working as well!!!  I did have a pending update to Maps, not the same version numbers as vits, but as soon as I installed that update and went to timeline, it was showing that I was at home, which was correct.

There is another possible reason why it is now working, though...  All along I was showing that there was still supposedly a backup occurring from my old phone, even though I had done a factory reset and sent it in as a trade-in.  Even after removing the Google login from that phone (done from Google Account), it will still show for 30 days, apparently.  Well, I just looked at my timeline backups, and that old phone is no longer showing, since the 30 days have passed.  I'm thinking it is possible that the system thought it was recording the current activity on that dead phone instead of my real active phone (even though that was not possible, obviously).  

So, two possible reasons for the "fix".  I really don't care which one it was, I'm a happy camper!