Gmail users urged to check account for important email before Google deletes data forever

You might want to check you Gmail before its too late, as Google have sent out an email warning users that their data could be deleted forever if they don't make this one key change.

So much of our information is stored online these days, either through old photos, calendar events, or messages.

These can allow us to look back and cherish our favorite memories, but for Gmail users there's one major feature that's been working overtime in the background.

'Timeline', previously known as 'Location History', allows Google account holders to look back at their Maps data to see all of their favorite spots over the past few years, often linked to a holiday or photos that they've taken.

This could be a romantic getaway, a favorite restaurant, or a landmark you'd love to visit again, and it can be a great way of looking back at some of the most memorable moments of your life.

You're at risk of losing this right now though, as Google have decided to wipe all historical data if you don't make one important change to the way that your account stores information.

Google users have been notified of the change via Gmail (Getty Stock)

As reported by the Sun, Google have sent out an email to all Gmail users detailing the change:

"You have Timeline turned on for your account, which helps you go back in time and remember where you've been. With Timeline, your visits and routes are automatically saved to a map on each of your devices. This is a reminder that Timeline is changing," the announcement illustrates.

"Now, if you choose to keep Timeline on, all of your devices will save new visits on their own Timelines - including any devices that previously had Location History reporting turned off. Because of these changes, you need to choose new settings to avoid losing Timeline data."

So, if you don't make these changes before the May 18 deadline then Google will automatically delete all of your previous Timeline data, potentially losing you years of precious memories.

All you need to do to keep using Timeline is press the 'Review' option in the email that you've been sent, and then scroll down until you can select 'Keep Until You Delete'. Then, right at the bottom you should be able to press the 'Keep On' button, which will confirm all of the changes and continue storing your data.

This will permanently store all Timeline data on all your devices - although as the email mentions, each device will have it's own unique Timeline data that you can view.

Alternatively, you can set deletion parameters that get rid of your data every 3, 18, or 36 months if you prefer to wipe your slate clean every once in a while.

There is also a bug that accidentally deletes all Timeline data before the data, as per AndroidCentral, giving users little warning that your memories could be lost forever with no cloud backups either.

"Yep, I noticed this several days ago," explains one user on Reddit. "My timeline is completely empty up until March 7th when my timeline resumes again. Why can they not just leave stuff alone?"

Some aren't too affected by the change though, indicating that worse things have happened before: "Happened to me. Also hot take, I genuinely prefer how Timeline used to work. The current iteration is plainly a**."

It's definitely worth checking whether your data is still there before you keep it on during the email though, as your worries about losing information could have unfortunately already happened.