If you have been waiting for Google to bring its Incognito Mode to Maps, well, we have good news for you. The company has started rolling out the feature. You can check if it's made its way to you by heading to the account switcher. There should be a "Turn on Incognito Mode" option there. The update is coming to iOS soon, but Google hasn't given any specific date yet.
What does Incognito Mode bring to the app? Inc. lists the three key points:
- It will stop saving your browser and search history (or sending notifications)
- It won't update your location history or shared locations, and
- It will stop personalizing Maps using personal data
By extension, this also means whatever you are searching for right now, won't influence your future searches.
It's important to note, though, that while Google Maps might stop tracking you, other apps can still do so. Your internet service provider can do so. As Lily Hay Newman wrote for Wired in anticipation of this feature, Incognito Mode is "less of a sophisticated privacy tool and more of a pause button on a TV remote."