Cross-device Windows 10 Timeline sync going away pretty soon

If you are one of the rare users using Windows 10’s TimeLine feature to its full potential, you do not have too long to enjoy the feature.

We reported in April that for the Windows 10 201H2 build 21359, Microsoft mentioned that Timeline syncing is going away for Microsoft Account users.

If you have your activity history synced across your devices through your Microsoft account (MSA), you will no longer have the option to upload new activity in Timeline. AAD-connected accounts won’t be impacted.

Due to this, it was thought that this change would only be rolling out sometime at the end of the year with Windows 10 21H2.

However new Microsoft Support documentation reveals the feature will be going away for all supported versions of Windows 10, starting from Windows 10 20H2, with Microsoft saying:

Note: Starting in July 2021, if you have your activity history synced across your devices through your Microsoft account (MSA), you’ll no longer have the option to upload new activity in Timeline. You’ll still be able to use Timeline and see your activity history (information about recent apps, websites and files) on your local device. AAD-connected accounts won’t be impacted.

Microsoft has previously clarified that the Timeline feature in Windows 10 will remain as a local service, saying:

Note: Timeline and all your local activity history still remain on Windows 10.

Even though Microsoft is removing the Timeline syncing feature with Microsoft Accounts in June 2021, you’ll still be able to use Timeline and see your activity history (information about recent apps, websites and files) on your local device.

It is unfortunate that one of Microsoft’s boldest UI moves in recent years have failed to attract sufficient users. Hopefully, Microsoft will make further attempts in the future.

via WindowsLatest