Google Timeline alternatives for iPhone

The best Google Timeline alternatives on iPhone

You can stay with Google Maps Timeline, use Apple Maps' built-in Visited Places, or install an app. Here's how they compare, and who each one suits.

Prices from the US App Store in October 2026. Arc also sells a $219.99 lifetime licence, and Dawarich Cloud starts at $49.99 a year.

What to look for

Your old history. Only Dawarich and Replay say they can import Google's file. Keep your export somewhere safe either way.

Battery. Nobody has published a fair test. Dawarich's developer reports about 2–2.5% a day on an iPhone 12 Pro, and Where Have I Been claims under 3%. Apps that keep GPS on in the background use more. Try an app for a week and check SettingsBattery.

Whether it records at all. Missed visits are the most common complaint about every app here, Google's included. Give any app a week before you trust it.

Keep using Google Maps Timeline

Staying is fine if Google's record works for you. It's free, it records automatically once Google Maps' location is set to Always, and the history stays on your phone with an optional encrypted backup.

The weak spot is that everything now depends on one app on one phone. iPhone owners on Reddit also report wrong places and missed arrivals since the move. If you're seeing gaps, why Google Timeline misses visits covers the usual causes.

Apple Maps Visited Places

Since iOS 26, Apple Maps can keep a list of places you've stopped at, under MapsPlacesVisited Places. It's built in, encrypted, and you choose how long to keep visits.

It only lists places Maps can name, not the journeys between them, and there's no export. Users say it catches longer stays and misses a lot of short ones; one wrote that it "recorded maybe 1 out of 100" places. It's offered in 32 countries and regions, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, but none in the EU. How to see your location history on iPhone walks through it.

Arc Timeline 4

Arc is the most complete diary here. It logs where you went and how long you stayed, tells walking, cycling, driving, trains and planes apart, and can add heart rate and steps from Apple Health. Your data stays on your phone, with an optional iCloud backup, and exports as JSON.

Long-time users love the detail, but some report crashes, missed recordings and slow restores on a new phone. Arc 4 needs iOS 26 and costs $4.99 a month, $44.99 a year or $219.99 once after a free trial. It can't import Google Timeline yet.

Replay

Replay is a newer app that records your day automatically, with how you travelled, photos from your library and notes. Everything stays on your phone, with optional iCloud sync and no account.

Its developer says it imports Google Timeline under SettingsImportGoogle Timeline. It's free to download, with a $9.99 upgrade. It's new, with only a handful of ratings so far, so expect some rough edges.

Dawarich

Dawarich is open source and imports every kind of Google file, old Takeout downloads and today's phone export alike. Your old years and your new recording end up on one map.

The iPhone app sends your location to Dawarich Cloud or to a server you run yourself. Self-hosting is free. In the App Store, Cloud Lite is $49.99 a year and Cloud Pro $129.99. Some self-hosters say the app drained their battery faster than OwnTracks.

Timeline for iPhone

Timeline for iPhone is the app this site is about, so bear that in mind. It records your visits automatically with Apple's visit detection and shows each day with your stops and how you got between them. Your history stays on your phone, with no account, and exports to plain text or JSON.

What sets it apart is an optional connection to Claude or ChatGPT, so you can ask an assistant where you've been. It's free on the App Store, and it can't import Google's file.

OwnTracks

OwnTracks is free and open source. It sends your location to a server you run, often paired with Dawarich. It gives you location points rather than a diary, and by default it only reports bigger moves, which saves battery.

Fog of World

Fog of World clears a fogged world map wherever you go, with stats by country. It costs $30 once and keeps tracks on your phone. Travellers love it, but some report gaps on trains and in poor GPS.

Also worth a look

Where Have I Been is free for the last three weeks of history and $21.99 a year for everything. Track My Journey records trips you start by hand. Overland is a lighter recorder for Dawarich.

Questions

Can I import my Google Timeline into another app?

Dawarich and Replay say they can, including the file Google Maps exports on iPhone. Apple Maps, Arc and Timeline can't import it.

Is there a free Google Timeline alternative for iPhone?

Yes. Apple Maps Visited Places is free and built into iOS 26, where it's available. Replay is free to start. OwnTracks and self-hosted Dawarich are free too, but you need to run a server.

What replaced the Moves app?

Moves shut down in 2018. Arc Timeline 4, Replay and Timeline all record your days automatically in a similar way.

Which location history app uses the least battery?

There's no independent test. Apps that keep GPS on in the background use the most. Try one for a week and check Settings › Battery.

Is Arc Timeline free?

No. It's free to download, but after the trial it needs a subscription or the one-off purchase.

Sources

Prices, versions and features come from each app's App Store listing, website or documentation, checked on 22 October 2026. What users report comes from Reddit threads in r/GoogleMaps, r/applemaps, r/selfhosted and r/FogofWorld. We make Timeline, one of the apps compared here.

• Manage your Google Maps Timeline, Google Maps Help
• View Visited Places in Maps and iOS feature availability, Apple
• Arc Timeline 4, App Store
• Replay, App Store, and its Google Timeline guide
• Dawarich, App Store, and importing existing data
• OwnTracks documentation
• Fog of World, App Store
• Why is Visited Places restricted to OS26?, r/applemaps