Microsoft Deprecates Location History in Windows 11

Microsoft quietly revealed that it has deprecated Location history in Windows 11 and will remove the feature in a future release.

“We are deprecating and removing the Location History feature, an API that allowed Cortana to access 24 hours of device history when location was enabled,” the Microsoft Learn site explains. “With the removal of the Location History feature, location data will no longer be saved locally and the corresponding settings will also be removed from the Location privacy & security page in Settings.”

So this one is a bit curious. To me, Location history seems like a bigger feature than something that was limited only to a feature, Cortana, that was already removed in an earlier Windows 11 version. After all, it’s one of several privacy features you have to configure during the initial OS setup. But Microsoft points to the API it uses to determine your PC’s location, and it seems innocuous enough.

Microsoft recently explained deprecation in regard to its support policies, but I’ve always found that to be straightforward. Of more interest is that the software giant has started to be more aggressive in culling legacy technologies from Windows 11. In recent months, for example, it has deprecated and/or removed Suggested actions, legacy DRM services, and Paint 3D, among others.