Google Maps’ Incognito mode finally goes live for Android users

By Trevor Mogg Published November 4, 2019

Google started talking about Google Maps’ Incognito mode back in May 2019, and besides some news trickling out about the feature undergoing testing with a small group of users, we’ve heard little about it since.

Until now, that is.

Recommended Videos

An update to Google’s help pages posted in recent days reveals that Incognito mode for Google Maps is finally being rolled out, though for now only to Android users.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

For those not in the know, the feature offers a quick-access privacy option that prevents your Google account storing your location data.

The only other way to erase your location data is by doing it manually, or by setting up the app to delete it at regular intervals, so Incognito mode makes the procedure a whole lot easier.

But as Google notes on its help pages, “turning on Incognito mode in Maps does not affect how your activity is used or saved by internet providers, other apps, voice search, and other Google services.”

You can enable Incognito mode in three simple steps:

Open the Google Maps app
Tap on your profile picture
Tap on Turn on Incognito mode

Google said the new feature is being rolled out in stages, though by the time you read this, it should be showing for everyone. If not, try again in a day or two after confirming you have the most recent version of the app loaded on your Android device.

No personalization, no offline maps …

Keep in mind, if you choose to keep Incognito mode enabled the whole time, Google won’t be able to personalize Maps with things like recommended places based on your previous movements. Also, features such as Offline Maps, Your Places, and Location Sharing will stop working when Incognito mode is on.

Finally, the Google Assistant microphone won’t be available in navigation when Incognito mode is enabled, but “OK, Google” will continue to work in the usual way. “Google Assistant is a system feature that isn’t a part of Incognito mode for Maps, so any information you share with it will be saved as usual,” the company said on its website.

There’s no word yet on when the feature will be available for iOS users, but we’ll be sure to update when it lands.

Google already offers an Incognito mode option for its Chrome web browser, as well as for YouTube, though its implementation has led to controversy in some quarters.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

Google proposes big changes for the future of Search and Android apps

Google Chrome on an Android phone.

Google’s ongoing antitrust tussle spawned a list of sweeping policy suggestions — including a proposed sale of the Chrome business — by the Department of Justice. The focus of the lawsuit centers on the Search monopoly, but it has serious ramifications for Android and the overall browser situation.

Now, Google has shared its own “remedies proposal” to the DOJ’s recommendations, which it claims are going “far beyond what the Court’s decision is actually about.”

Mobile

Android 16 adds a new way to use the Google Pixel 9’s fingerprint sensor

Pixel 9 Pro in Rose Quartz.

Biometric security — the ability to unlock your phone with your fingerprint or face — is an amazing feature, but you often have to turn on the phone's screen before you can use it. That's because many fingerprint sensors are optical and need light in order to work. Fortunately, Android 16 will make it so that you can open your Pixel 9 without turning your phone screen on at all (while also avoiding the groan that comes from searing your eyes.)

The feature was noted in the Android 16 Developer Preview 2, or DP2, by 9to5Google. The findings imply that this only applies to the Google Pixel 9 series because while it does appear in the Settings search on the Pixel 8 Pro, there's no option to enable it. This is likely due to the Pixel 9's ultrasonic fingerprint scanner; the improved hardware doesn't require light to use it.

Mobile

Google boosts Android security against unknown tracking devices

Unknown tracker alert for Android.

Google is adding a couple of new features to Android’s safety alert system that will help users find unknown trackers moving with them. The new features cover all tags and tracking devices that support Google’s Find My Device service for locating lost hardware.

The first one is Find Nearby. This one will help users locate any hidden tracker. For example, if your Android phone flashes an unknown tracker alert, you can check for its presence using the Play Sound feature.