My S25 Ultra arrived on Saturday. I used the Smart Switch app to transfer the data from my old phone, an S20 via Wifi. This was largely successful with most things being set up on the new phone as they were on the old phone. I was able to transfer my Google Maps Timeline history by using Maps to restore the S20 Timeline backup. This took a few goes but worked eventually after 24hrs or so.
My issue is that the S25 Ultra has not recorded a single visit in my Maps Timeline. I have tried restarting (the phone), disabling & enabling (the app, timeline, location, location sharing etc), clearing the data, cache, uninstalling & reinstalling (the app), removing my Google account and logging it back in again. I have logged out my S20 from my Google account, which was still recording timeline visits up until that point.
I recall there used to be a Google settings page where you could enable and disable which devices are able to record timeline visits on your Google account. That seems to have gone now. The S25 and the S20 are both listed as being on the account, but with no tick boxes to enable or disable them. The S25 is apparently backing up data and I can manually edit to add timeline visits. It simply doesn't record timeline events automatically, even if it is navigating and/ or sharing its location with another person.
Does anyone know how to get the S25 Ultra to record timeline visits automatically like my S20 does?
I'm having the same problem and these instructions didn't work. Location and timeline are on according to my Google account, but Maps says the timeline is off
Thank you for your help and advice. This was the first thing that I tried. Timeline is shown as being on. I switched it off, restarted the phone and switched it on again. It still didn't automatically log timeline visits but I was able to manually edit my timeline.
After I removed my google account from the phone, restarted and then added the account again: The timeline history data wasn't there at first, then it was, then it disappeared some time later. For about 24hrs I was unable to edit or add anything (an error has occurred message), with no timeline history present. Then I was able to edit it again, but still the phone is not automatically recording timeline events. I have left it without restoring historical timeline events for the time being.
Meanwhile I have logged my S20 back into my Google account and that has resumed recording timeline events instantly.
My next thing to try is to reset the S25 Ultra to factory settings and to not use the Smart Switch app this time. To see if timeline works on a stock phone, with me only logging into my Google account.
I have now reset the S25 Ultra to factory settings and I did not use the Smart Switch or backup restore during the initial setup of the phone. After logging into my Google account and enabling the usual location permissions in Maps etc, Timeline is working straight away.
I have not imported my existing Timeline backup yet as I want to make sure it is automatically recording visits for the time being. I notice that in the Timeline activity controls page that I now have two SM-S938B (S25 Ultras) listed and my SM-G980F (S20). Presumably the S25 Ultra is identified by Google as a new device since its factory reset.
I have used Samsung data/ backup restore and Smart Switch to selectively restore my other apps/ messages etc and Timeline still appears to be working. I have not used it to restore/ transfer the Google Maps app at all, in case it was Smart Switch that disabled the Timeline in the first place. I'll restore the Timeline backup later today and reply to confirm if Timeline continues to automatically record visits.
