vektra
Google Timeline Visualizer: turn your Timeline into a travel video
Load the Timeline.json from Google Maps, or an old Google Takeout export, and render an animated MP4 of everywhere you went, coloured from your oldest travel to your newest. Save a PNG map still too. Everything runs in this browser tab, so the file never leaves your device.
Free. No account, no upload, no app to install. The sample is a demo trip across Java and Bali, so you can see the result without exporting anything.
What you get
Your route, coloured by date
The line runs along a colour ramp from your oldest trip to your newest, with a legend under the map. You can read the order you travelled in at a glance.
An animated MP4 travel recap
Landscape 16:9 or story 9:16, at 720p or 1080p, ready for TikTok, Reels, Shorts or a slideshow. Pick the length and the pacing.
A PNG map still or poster
The finished route in 16:9, 4:5, 9:16 or 1:1: with the map, or the route on its own on a transparent background to lay over a photo.
Nothing uploaded, ever
This is a static page with no server behind it. Your Timeline is parsed and rendered in the tab, and there is nowhere to send it.
Works with every Google Timeline export
Drop in whichever file you have. The format is detected from its contents.
- Timeline.json exported from the Google Maps app on Android or iPhone, the current on-device format.
- Records.json from a Google Takeout archive, the raw location history with one fix per entry.
- Semantic Location History monthly files from an older Takeout, with the travelled distance Google measured.
How to get your Timeline file
Google keeps Timeline on your phone now, so the export happens there.
- 1Open Settings, then Location, then Location services
- 2Tap Timeline
- 3Tap Export Timeline data, then Continue, then Save
- 4The file lands in your Downloads folder
You can also reach it from Google Maps: profile picture, then Your Timeline, then the three dots, then Location and privacy settings.
Quickest route: open this page on the phone you exported from and pick the file straight out of Downloads. No cable, no sending it to yourself.
Works on iPhone, Android and desktop
It is a web page: no app, no APK, no account. The preview and the PNG still work in any modern browser. Rendering the MP4 uses WebCodecs, so it needs Chrome, Edge or Safari 16.4 and newer, on a phone or a computer.
Where your data goes
This site is a static page with no server, so your Timeline file cannot be uploaded anywhere. It is read and rendered entirely in this tab. To draw the map, the browser requests map tiles from a basemap provider; those requests reveal the areas your journey covers, along with your IP address. Your coordinates, dates, and the finished video are never sent to them or to us.
Frequently asked questions
Is my location data uploaded anywhere?
No. vektra is a static page with no server, so there is nothing to upload your file to. The Timeline export is read and rendered entirely in your browser tab. The only requests that leave your device fetch map tiles from CARTO or Esri, which reveals the areas your journey covers and your IP address, never your coordinates, dates or the finished video.
How do I export my Google Maps Timeline as Timeline.json?
On Android open Settings, then Location, then Location services, then Timeline, and tap Export Timeline data. On iPhone open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Your Timeline, open Settings from the three dots and tap Export timeline data. The file is called Timeline.json (or location-history.json) and lands in your Downloads.
Does it work with Google Takeout exports?
Yes. Besides the on-device Timeline.json it reads the two older Google Takeout shapes: Records.json, which holds raw location fixes, and the Semantic Location History folder of monthly JSON files. Drop in any one of those files.
What does coloured by date mean?
The route is painted along a colour ramp from your oldest travel to your newest, and a legend under the map shows which end is which. You can see the order you travelled in at a glance instead of one flat line.
Which browsers can render the MP4?
MP4 export uses WebCodecs, so it needs Chrome, Edge or Safari 16.4 and newer, on desktop or phone. Every browser can play the preview and save a PNG still; only the video encoder is picky.
Can I use it on iPhone or Android without installing an app?
Yes. It is a web page, so there is no app, no APK and no account. The quickest route is to open it on the phone you exported from and pick the file straight out of Downloads.
Is it free? Is there a watermark or a Pro tier?
It is free, with no Pro tier and no paid resolution. Every export carries a small vektra wordmark and the map credit the tile providers require.
Can I save a still image or poster instead of a video?
Yes. The finished route can be saved as a PNG in 16:9, 4:5, 9:16 or 1:1, either as the last frame of the video with the map, or as the route on its own with a transparent background for laying over a photo.
Is this the Timeline Visualizer from GitHub, or an official Google product?
Neither. vektra is an independent tool built on the same idea as the open-source Google Timeline Visualizer project. It is not affiliated with Google.
Why does my file show no locations, or the wrong date range?
Timeline.json only contains what your phone recorded, and a fresh Google Takeout has nothing after Timeline moved onto the phone in December 2024. Check that Timeline was turned on for the period you want, and widen the date range in the editor.