Deciding to delete your Local Guide Google account involves several considerations, as it can impact your use of other Google services and your contributions to Google Maps. This guide provides a detailed overview of the different methods for leaving the Local Guides program, highlighting the consequences, reversibility, and alternatives for each option.
The best approach for you depends on your reasons for leaving and whether you might want to rejoin the program in the future.
| Leaving the Local Guides Program: Quick Options |
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| There are three primary ways to leave: 1. Delete your Connect account. 2. Exit the Local Guides Program. 3. Delete your Google account. Option 2, exiting the Local Guides Program, is generally recommended as it has the fewest negative consequences and can be reversed. See B. Exit the Local Guides Program below for detailed instructions. |
Understanding the Local Guides Ecosystem
To fully understand the implications of leaving the Local Guides program, it’s essential to know how your accounts are connected. Initially, joining Connect involves these steps:
- Creating a Google account.
- Using Google Maps with your Google account.
- Signing up to become a Local Guide.
- Creating a Connect account.
Your Google Maps contributions, Local Guides Program membership, and Connect account are all linked to your Google account. Most users also use the same Google account for other Google services like Gmail, Google Photos, and YouTube.
It’s also important to distinguish between Local Guides Levels and Google Maps badges (e.g., Master Reviewer, Photographer) which are tied to your Google Maps contributions, and Connect badges (e.g., Great Friend, Writer) which are linked to your activity on the Connect platform.
Determining Your Objectives
The following table illustrates how your Local Guide activities are linked to your accounts.
This table helps you understand what you’ll lose by deleting your Connect account or exiting the Local Guides Program. To use it effectively, mark the features you want to keep in the “Keep” column and then compare it to the other columns to find the best account type for your needs.
Exploring the Consequences and Options
Below are three tables detailing the consequences, reversibility, alternatives, and instructions for:
- Deleting your Connect account.
- Exiting the Local Guides Program.
- Deleting your Google account.
A. Delete Your Connect Account
| Consequences | You will no longer be able to: – Ask questions or add/edit content on Connect. – Earn Connect badges or vote for ideas. – Apply for Connect Live events (if Level 5+). Your username will be changed to “Anonymous,” and your Connect posts will remain visible but will not be attributed to you. |
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| Reversibility | Deleting your Connect account is permanent. After 10 days, you can create a new account on Connect using the same Google Account, but you’ll lose your old username, Connect badges, and the ability to edit old posts or access old Private Messages. |
| Alternatives | Stop visiting LocalGuidesConnect.com and turn off email notifications here. Alternatively, consider B. Exiting the Local Guides Program, which is reversible. |
| Backup | Download your Connect contributions before deleting your account. Find the links at the bottom of this page. |
| How to leave | Go to My Connect settings and select “Close Account.” |
B. Exit the Local Guides Program
| Consequences | Same as under A. Plus, you will no longer: – Earn points, badges, and levels on Google Maps. Your username and avatar in Connect will remain unchanged, but your Google Maps profile will no longer show that you are a Local Guide. You can still use Google Maps as a regular user, including making reviews and adding photos. |
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| Reversibility | Local Guides who have exited the program can rejoin using the same Google Account and will find their LG level and Google Maps badges intact. If you didn’t delete your Connect account, it will also be intact, allowing you to contribute to Connect again if you rejoin. |
| Alternatives | If privacy is a concern, consider turning off location tracking under Activity controls. |
| How to leave | Go to the new Opt-out-page and click/tap “Leave the program.” |
C. Delete Your Google Account
| Consequences | Same as under B. Plus, you will no longer be able to: – Add reviews and photos to Google Maps. – Suggest edits or provide feedback on Google Maps. Your avatar in Connect will become grey, and your Connect username will remain visible, updated to your last Level in Google Maps, and linked to your posts. More importantly: You can lose all your Google files, photos, and emails. Please read this official help page to understand all consequences. All your reviews, star-only ratings, and photos will remain on Google Maps without your name attached. To delete them, you must do so before deleting your account by clicking the 3-dot icon and selecting Delete for each item. You cannot delete your edits, new places added, or answers on Google Maps. However, you can remove answers linked to your timeline by setting auto-delete to ON in your Activity controls. |
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| Reversibility | If you recently deleted a Google account, you might be able to recover it as explained here. |
| Alternatives | Consider Exiting the Local Guides Program instead, as it’s reversible and avoids risking your Google files, photos, emails, or access to other Google services. |
| Backup | Download the data you might need later as explained here. |
| How to leave | Go to your Google Account settings and scroll down to the heading Download, delete, or make a plan for your data. |
Conclusion
Deleting your Local Guide Google account requires careful consideration. By understanding the consequences, reversibility, and alternatives associated with each method, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your needs and preferences.
