How to tell if someone is using Incognito mode on location sharing

Turning on the new Incognito Mode in Google Maps won't make you as invisible as it might sound.

Perhaps as a nod to growing concerns about digital behavior tracking, particularly location tracking, Google has introduced a raft of privacy improvements. Among them: a new Incognito Mode for Maps, which prevents Google from saving certain types of data and removes personalization touches from its Maps app. Just don’t assume it makes your movements untraceable.

Incognito Mode for Maps will roll out on Android this month, the company said in a blog. It builds on Incognito Mode for the Chrome browser, which first launched in 2008, and for the YouTube app, where it appeared earlier this year. But as with those predecessors, it’s important to understand not just the benefits but the limits of going Incognito.

Enabling the new feature stops data generated by that specific device from showing up in your Google Location History. If you’re sharing your location with someone through Google Maps, it’ll pause updates about that device’s location when active. And Maps Incognito Mode also stops app-related notifications and app personalization. But it doesn’t offer a protective blanket across all of your devices.

When you turn on Maps Incognito mode, a message warns, “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.” This means that Maps Incognito Mode isn’t doing anything to mask or anonymize your web traffic to the outside world—it’s simply minimizing the record of your Maps browsing in your own Google account and offering a way to pause location sharing with other Maps users from that device. Similarly, Chrome’s Incognito Mode doesn’t do anything to keep websites, employers, or internet service providers from seeing your browsing traffic.

“We want to give people more choice and control when it comes to how they manage their data on Google Maps, and we know that there are certain times when you may not want your activity tied to you,” Marlo McGriff, a Google Maps product manager, told WIRED. “For example, say you share a device with your significant other—you probably don’t want them knowing that you recently searched for engagement ring stores nearby.”

Think of Google’s Incognito Modes, then, as less of a sophisticated privacy tool and more of a pause button on a TV remote—you just use it occasionally when you’re going to the bathroom or to get a beer from the fridge. If you want to anonymize your browsing or disrupt your internet service provider’s insight, consider using Tor or a VPN instead.

To use Incognito Mode in Maps, simply tap your account photo in the upper-right corner of the screen (next to the search bar) and tap Turn on Incognito Mode. You can also sign out of Google Maps, which accomplishes a lot of the same things and can be done without logging out of your Google account entirely on Android and IOS. But when you do that, the app will still record and show things like recent searches, which it won’t when Incognito Mode is on. And when you’re not signed in you can’t do things like share your location with other users, so if you want those types of features, Incognito Mode offers a way to use them with pauses.

Google’s privacy policy says that when you’re not signed into a Google Account, the company still collects and stores information about your browsing and behavior in its services, but ties that data to a unique identifier rather than a full account. Google says that data from Incognito Maps sessions is stored with a unique identifier assigned to that Incognito session. The ID is not tied to the user’s account and is reset with every new session.

“Incognito Mode is designed to be used as needed as opposed to being an always-on setting,” McGriff says. “While you can still navigate, get directions, and search for places while you’re Incognito, you lose all of the personalized Maps features, such as the ability to see restaurant recommendations or information tailored to your commute.”

Google announced other privacy-related gestures Wednesday as well. YouTube will now offer a setting to autodelete your video browsing history every 3 months or 18 months. And the company is also adding its Password Checkup, formerly just an extension, to Chrome’s built-in password manager. The tool combs stolen credentials from data breaches to flag any of your passwords that have been compromised.

And as part of Google’s ongoing efforts to improve voice-related privacy within Assistant, you’ll now be able to say, “Hey Google, delete the last thing I said” or “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you last week” without having to navigate through menus and settings in a browser. Amazon added similar data deletion to Alexa in May. You’ll also be able to ask Google Assistant, “Hey Google, how do you keep my data safe,” if you want to hear that spiel.

Incremental privacy tweaks do add up over time, and this new slate of additions lends transparency and control to a number of important user data spigots. But for issues like location tracking and smart assistant interaction, the privacy stakes are too high for any one solution—or several small ones—to magically solve everything.

Read more from wired.com

Did you know that Google Maps has an Incognito mode, just like in Google Chrome? And here too, there are legitimate reasons to use the private mode. By default, Google Maps keeps a track of all your movements, and it’s available to Google family members and trusted contacts. 

But what if you want to hide your activity for a while? If you’re going somewhere to buy a gift for your spouse, or if you’re planning a surprise, you might not want someone else to see this data. 

While you can always erase your Google Maps location history later, it’s best if it’s not tracked in the first place. Here’s how to use the Google Maps incognito mode on your Android device. 

As we mentioned earlier, Incognito Mode is a private browsing feature that’s designed to protect your location (GPS) and search data on Google Maps. When you enable Incognito Mode, Google Maps immediately disables the Location History feature. The app stops recording where you go and what you search for.

Google Maps won’t save your browsing history, or your search history. It won’t send you notifications either. It won’t update your shared location if you have enabled the feature. 

But this doesn’t change your Google Maps navigation experience. You’ll still be able to see where you are, you’ll be able to search for a place, and you’ll be able to use Google Maps’ turn-by-turn navigation as well. 

The following features won’t be available to you when you’re in Google Maps Incognito Mode:

• Commute
• For You
• Location History (According to Google, Location History will be paused for your entire device, not just Google Maps).
• Location Sharing
• Notifications and messages
• Search history
• Search completion suggestions
• Google Maps Contributions
• Google Assistant microphone in Navigation
• Offline Maps
• Your Places
• Media integration

During navigation, the Microphone feature in Google Maps won’t work, but you can still use the “OK Google” command. This will bring up Google Assistant, and as it’s not a part of the Google Maps app, that data will be stored and will be available in your Google account history. 

Now that you have understood how the feature works, here’s how you can use it on your Android smartphone.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your Android device. 
2. You’ll see the familiar Google Maps home screen with the current location. Tap on your Profile icon from the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Now, choose the Turn on Incognito Mode option.

1. Google Maps will show a menu explaining the features. Here, choose the Close button. 
2. Now, you’ll see the Incognito Mode icon on the screen and the Google Maps app will restart.

Once it restarts, you’ll be in the Incognito mode. You’ll be able to tell because the Incognito mode icon will replace your Profile icon in the top-right corner.

You can now carry on searching and navigating, without the worry of being recorded.

How To Turn Off Google Maps Incognito Mode

Once you are done with your Incognito escapades, you might want to disable it, and go back to the default setting (after all, the Google Maps Incognito Mode offers fewer features). 

1. Open the Google Maps app and tap the Incognito icon from the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Then tap the Turn Off Incognito Mode button.

And just like that, Google Maps app will restart, and your familiar Google Maps home screen will be back.

How To Delete Google Maps History

What if you forget to enable Google Maps Incognito mode and you want to hide or delete activity from Google Maps? You can do this as well, just like the Google Chrome browser. 

And you can do this right from the Google Maps Android app. 

1. Open the Google Maps app on your Android smartphone.
2. Tap the Profile icon from the top-right corner and choose the Settings option.

1. Here, choose the Map History option.
2. This will bring up a Google Account web page with a reverse-chronological list of all your Google Maps location and search history.
3. You can scroll through the list to find a particular entry. Or you can use the search feature on top. From here you can filter using a particular date as well.

1. When you find the data you want to delete, tap the three-dotted Menu button and choose the Delete option. Then tap the Close button to continue browsing. 

Google will now delete the particular data from your Google Account. It won’t show up in the Google Maps app and no linked account will be able to access it. 

How was your experience using Google Maps in Incognito Mode? Share with us in the comments below. 

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