Feb 18, 2025 12:05:00

Microsoft announces it will discontinue Windows location history feature

Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue the Windows feature that allows applications such as the AI assistant

Cortana to obtain the device's location history. As a result, location history will no longer be stored locally on the device, and the setting will be removed from the OS.

Deprecated features in the Windows client | Microsoft Learn
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features

Microsoft to remove the Location History feature in Windows
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-to-remove-the-location-history-feature-in-windows/

Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue the location history feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11 on February 12, 2025.

The location history feature that will be discontinued refers to the API '

Geolocator.GetGeopositionHistoryAsync ' that allows Cortana to access 24 hours of device history. When this API is discontinued, location information will no longer be stored locally on the device.

It also appears that the on/off setting for the feature that was available under 'Settings' → 'Privacy and Security' → 'Location' will also be deleted.

In addition, technology media BleepingComputer has asked Microsoft why it is discontinuing the location history feature, but has not received a response at the time of writing.