Google's Incognito mode for Maps is rolling out on Android this month

Google is introducing several new privacy features for its products, including an Incognito mode for Google Maps on Android and iOS.
 By 
Stan Schroeder
 on 
Google's Incognito mode for Maps is rolling out on Android this month
More privacy in Maps is a good thing. Credit: NurPhoto / getty images

Hey spies (and everyone else who wants to keep their privacy reasonably intact), good news: You will soon be able to use Google Maps on your phone in Incognito mode.

Google originally announced the feature during the Google I/O 2019 conference in May, and started testing it earlier this month.

This month, however, the feature will finally launch.

Incognito mode in Maps means that your activity on the phone won't be saved to your Google Account or used to personalize Maps for you.

Turning on Incognito mode is done by tapping your profile photo in the upper right corner of Maps and hitting "Turn on incognito mode." After you've done that, your profile photo will turn into a little spy icon and Maps will display a black bar on top, indicating that Incognito mode is on.

The feature is rolling out to Android users this month. Support for iOS is coming "soon," Google says.

In an announcement on its blog, Google also mentioned a few new privacy-oriented features, including the option to auto-delete your YouTube history.

Another interesting new feature is a new way of managing your history with Google Assistant. Starting next week with the English version of Assistant (other languages are coming next month), you'll be able to say something like, "Hey Google, delete everything I said to you last week," and Assistant will comply. No software update is needed as this feature will roll out automatically.

Stan Schroeder
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.

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