Microsoft has officially announced the removal of the “Location History” function from Windows 10 and 11. This decision means that the operating system will no longer retain local data on the movements of the device, and the corresponding setting will no longer be available in the privacy parameters.
The function utilized the API windows.devices.geolocation, which allowed applications such as the Cortana Voice Assistant to request information about the device’s location over the past 24 hours. Microsoft has clarified that the location determination service fixed coordinates only when actively requested by applications or services, no more than once per second. All data was stored locally and updated with each new query.
With the removal of the API, developers using windows.devices.geolocation must rethink the implementation of their applications and discontinue the use of GetgeopositionhistorySync to prevent potential errors. Furthermore, the setting for managing location history will also be removed from the privacy and security section in Windows parameters.
Users will have the option to entirely disable the location determination service by blocking all applications and services from accessing geodata. It is also advised to manually clear location data from the past 24 hours by selecting the “Clean” button in Windows.
Microsoft has not provided a specific explanation for discontinuing the function. It is speculated that this decision may be due to changes in privacy policies or a decrease in user interest in this feature. It is anticipated that updates containing the removal of the function will be rolled out gradually.