Introduction
If you share your Google account with friends or family members, those individuals can easily see your travel history in Google Maps. Whether you just don’t like the idea of other people knowing what you’re doing, or you’re up to something you really don’t want other people to know about, you can turn on Incognito Mode in Google Maps to keep that information private. Incognito Mode still lets you use Google Maps for navigational purposes without the application storing any of your history so others can find it later. Incognito Mode is being rolled out to Android devices in late 2019, so make sure you’re updated to the latest version of Google Maps before looking for it. Examples of all instructions in the steps can be seen in both the YouTube video above and the image collection located beneath the steps.
Steps to Turn on Incognito Mode in Google Maps on Android
- Tap to launch the Google Maps app on your Android device. Your Google Maps home screen appears.
- Tap your profile icon. A menu appears.
- Tap “Turn on Incognito Mode.” The Incognito icon appears briefly on the screen before Google Maps automatically restarts. When Google Maps restarts, a message will be displayed on the screen, letting you know that when Incognito Mode is enabled your browse and search history in Google Maps won’t be saved, your location history won’t be updated, and your activity won’t be used to personalize your Google Maps experience. Tap “Close” to close this dialog box. Your regular Google Maps home screen will be displayed, however, the Incognito icon will be displayed in place of your profile icon.
You can exit Incognito Mode at any time by tapping the “Incognito” icon to open a menu, and then tapping “Turn Off Incognito Mode” in that menu. Google Maps will restart and boot up to your regular Google Maps home screen, with your profile icon displayed where the Incognito icon was previously.
