I always liked the idea of seeing all my locations on a map. Google Timeline made that simple and convenient, but over time, I became uncomfortable with how much information it collected about me. Every place I visited was logged, stored, analyzed, and added to a system designed to learn as much as possible about my habits. I wanted the same experience that Google Timeline offered, such as the clean map view, the trip summaries, and the detailed statistics, but I wanted those features without giving a company complete access to my movements.
That search eventually led me to Dawarich. It is an open-source tool that replicates the features I enjoyed in Google Timeline while giving me full control over where my data lives. I can run it on my own computer, on a small home server, or in a private cloud environment. There are no ads and no hidden data collection. It is simply my location history under my control.
How Dawarich frees me from Google Timeline
All the features you need without the privacy trade-off
Dawarich gives you everything Google Timeline does, and then some. The interactive map shows your travel history as points, lines, or heatmaps. You can filter by date, zoom into specific trips, and see exactly where you’ve been. The statistics page breaks down your travels by year and month, showing total distance traveled, the number of cities visited, the countries explored, and the time spent at each location.
I also like the Trips feature. You can create a trip between any two dates, and Dawarich visualizes your exact route, calculates distance, and tracks time spent. You can add notes to trips too, marking what you did at each stop. There’s also a Visits feature that suggests places you’ve visited repeatedly, so you can tag locations and build a personal geography of your life.
But the best part is that you own your data completely! You can export everything to GeoJSON or GPX format anytime. You can invite family and friends to join your server, giving everyone their own private timeline while keeping the data on your hardware. Dawarich also lets you import data from Google Maps Timeline, OwnTracks, GPX files, and even photos with location metadata. All of this happens locally, on your terms, without anyone else watching. If you’re looking for ways to take back your privacy without compromise, try using Dawarich.
Setting up Dawarich is easy
Getting it running on your PC
Setting up Dawarich on my computer was simpler than I expected. First, I created a folder called “Dawarich” on my C: drive. Then, I downloaded the Docker Compose file and saved it in the newly created folder. After opening Docker Desktop and launching the terminal at the bottom right, I navigated to my C:/Dawarich folder and ran the command:
docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up
Within moments, Dawarich was running.
I then opened my browser, went to http://localhost:3000, and accessed the full web interface. That was it. The default login is “demo@dawarich.app” with password “password”, though I changed that in account settings right away.
Connecting your phone to Dawarich
If you’re on an iPhone, you’re lucky. Download the official Dawarich for iOS app from the App Store, scan the code in Dawarich’s settings, and you’re done. The app handles everything automatically.
On Android, I used OwnTracks, which is free and open-source. After installing it on my phone, I went to Preferences and changed the connection type to HTTP. Next, I needed the URL where OwnTracks would send my location data. This URL uses your Dawarich instance address, your API key, and a specific endpoint.
To get your API key, log into your Dawarich instance and click the profile icon at the top right of the window. Select Account and look for the API Key section. Copy that key.
Then, in OwnTracks, I set the URL to:
http://(your-server-ip):3000/api/v1/owntracks/points?api_key=(your-api-key)
I sent the URL to my phone using KDE Connect, an Android app that makes small tasks like this easier. If you don’t already use it, you can simply enter the URL manually in OwnTracks.
For testing on my local network, I used my computer’s local IP address and used the demo username and password from earlier. After pressing publish in OwnTracks, a location point appeared in Dawarich almost instantly. That’s when I knew it was working.
Self-hosting isn’t a trivial matter
The trade-off of privacy and independence
Based on the work we had to do to make this setup function, it’s clear that using Dawarich isn’t as convenient as using Google Timeline. You’re responsible for the infrastructure. That means maintaining a server, keeping it running, managing backups, and ensuring it stays accessible when you’re away from home. If something breaks, you fix it. If your server goes down, your data goes with it.
The hosting part itself isn’t hard, but it’s not trivial either. You need to understand how to expose your server safely to the internet without compromising security. Some people use reverse proxies. Others rely on VPN solutions. I personally use Tailscale with MagicDNS to access my server outside my network, similar to how people use Tailscale to reach their Home Assistant server remotely.
Self-hosting also means you’re responsible for updates and patches. Dawarich is actively developed, which is great for new features, but means you need to stay on top of updates and potential compatibility issues. Google handles all of that silently in the background.
It’s a genuine trade-off. Convenience and simplicity on Google’s side, full control and privacy on Dawarich’s side. I choose Dawarich because, out of all the options I’ve tried, it’s one of the most feature-packed and easiest-to-host tracking services.
Take back your location history
You don’t have to be stuck with Google Timeline anymore. Dawarich proves that you can have a beautiful, full-featured location tracker without selling your privacy. The setup takes around 30 minutes. And from that point forward, every location you visit stays on your server and nowhere else. You get the map, the stats, the trips, and the peace of mind. Google built an amazing tool, but Dawarich built one that’s actually yours.
- OS
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iOS
- Developer
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ZeitFlow UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)
Dawarich is a powerful location history app that visualizes your movements through maps, trips, and detailed insights. It helps you track your life privately and securely while keeping all your data under your control.