Turn Google Timeline data into animated travel route videos
When you want to revisit where you traveled last year on a map, you can convert Google Maps location history into a video. This tool takes an exported Timeline JSON file and creates an MP4 file where the camera moves along the travel routes for a selected date range. You can use it in your preferred environment: an Android app, an iPhone web app, or a desktop Python script.
Video generation process and editing features
After selecting a Timeline JSON file and specifying the desired date range, you can preview the travel routes as an animation. The video length can be set from 10 to 300 seconds, and a notification regarding rendering time and storage space is displayed if it exceeds 60 seconds. Camera movement can be selected as fixed or dynamic, and long travel segments are compressed only in animation timing without changing the route itself. Old travel records are faded to prevent the screen from becoming cluttered, and a 1.5-second closing scene showing the entire route is added at the end of the video. The generated video can be saved in various resolutions from 480p to 1080p and in portrait or landscape aspect ratios.
Platform-specific installation and usage
Android users can install the app from the Google Play Store or directly download and install the APK file from the latest release of the repository.
- Android app Supports installation via Google Play or APK. Requires Android 8.0 or higher. Allows video management and playback within the app library.
- iPhone web app Used directly in the Safari browser. No app installation required. Can be added to the home screen to use like an app.
- Desktop Python Requires Python 3.9 or higher and FFmpeg installation. Video generation is possible through a command-line interface.
Privacy handling
This tool does not require Google login or location permissions, and user Timeline files are never uploaded to a server. All video rendering processes occur only on the device. The only network communication is requests to the map tile provider CARTO, which is used to display the map background based on OpenStreetMap data. The app clearly notifies this data transmission fact before loading the first Timeline and does not proceed if the user does not consent. Additionally, the app stores useful travel routes locally to supplement existing records when newer data is retrieved later.
Pre-use considerations
This tool works only when the Google Maps Timeline feature is enabled and location data for the relevant period exists. If old travel records have disappeared, you must first use the Google Maps backup restoration feature to recover the data and then export a new JSON file. Video generation time varies depending on the set length and route complexity, and videos of 60 seconds or more display a notification regarding rendering time and storage space. You should also be aware that regional information displayed on the map tile provider may be transmitted. The license is MIT, and contributions are optional.
