Developer builds browser-only tool to turn Google Maps history into MP4 travel videos

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A developer has released Timeline Visualizer, a free web app that converts Google Maps location history into animated MP4 travel videos, running entirely in the browser with no backend server involved. The app uses the WebCodecs API with H.264 encoding and an MP4 muxer to render map routes, distance counters, and background music without any server-side processing. Keeping sensitive location data client-side was a deliberate privacy decision, as Google Maps Timeline exports contain highly personal information. The developer noted that parsing Google's Timeline.json format proved more challenging than the video rendering itself, due to multiple format changes, inconsistent coordinate representations, and frequent user errors involving empty export files. The finished tool requires no account signup and outputs a 9:16 vertical MP4, with the developer open to questions about WebCodecs, muxing, or Google's location data format.

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