How to Import Your Google Maps Saved Places into Nifl
Got hundreds of starred places on Google Maps you've never actually visited? Here's how to move them all into Nifl in five minutes — using Google Takeout.
If you've been using Google Maps for a while, you probably have a "Want to go" list with 80+ places in it. A "Starred places" list from three years ago. A "Favorites" folder that you renamed "Date night" at some point and forgot about.
We've written before about why Google Maps saves become graveyards — they lack the proximity alerts and planning tools that turn saves into visits. But the data itself is still valuable. You marked those places for a reason.
You don't need to start from scratch. You just need a tool that does something with what you've already saved.
Here's how to bring every Google Maps saved place into Nifl in five minutes. Each of your existing lists becomes its own Nifl collection automatically.
What You'll Need
The one you've been saving places with.
iPhone app, free on the App Store. Takes 30 seconds.
Most of that is waiting for Google.
Step 1: Export Your Data from Google (Google Takeout)
Google Takeout is Google's official data export tool. It's free, safe, and it's the only way to get a clean copy of your saved places in a format Nifl can read.
Sign in with the Google account that has your saved places.
By default Google tries to export everything. Click Deselect all at the top, then scroll down and tick only Maps and Maps (your places). This keeps the file small and the processing fast.
Scroll to the bottom, click Next step, keep the defaults (one-time export, .zip format, 2GB max), and click Create export.
Google takes anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes to prepare your export. You'll get an email with a download link when it's ready.
Click the link in the email, sign in if prompted, and download the .zip. It'll probably be named something like takeout-20260422T134512Z-001.zip.
Step 2: Import the Takeout into Nifl
It's in the bottom navigation bar.
You'll see a row of import sources. Tap the Google option.
A button will appear prompting you to upload your Takeout file.
Nifl opens the iOS file picker. Navigate to wherever you saved the Takeout .zip (usually Files → Downloads or your iCloud Drive). Tap it to select.
Nifl reads the .zip, extracts your lists, matches every place to a map pin, and creates a collection for each Google Maps list you had. For a typical user with a few hundred saves, this takes 10–20 seconds.
What Happens After
Each of your Google Maps lists becomes its own collection in Nifl:
- "Want to go" → a Nifl collection called "Want to go"
- "Starred places" → a collection called "Starred places"
- "Date Night Spots" → same name, all your saves preserved
- Individual starred pins (not in a list) → a collection called "Starred"
Every place is on a map. Every place is searchable. Every place is ready for proximity alerts the moment you turn them on.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
What gets imported
- Every saved list and its places
- Every individually starred location
- Names, notes, and labels you added
- The original list names (so your organisation is preserved)
What doesn't get imported
- Your Google Maps reviews (these aren't included in the Takeout for saved places)
- Your search history or location timeline (Nifl doesn't need these)
- Shared collaborative lists where you weren't the owner
Duplicates
If you re-import the same Takeout, Nifl detects duplicates and skips them. Safe to re-run if you want to update with newer saves.
What to Do Next
You might find lists you'd forgotten existed. That's normal — that's the point.
Collections from 2019 that don't reflect your life anymore? Delete them or rename them. Your collection list should match who you are now.
For the collections you actually want to visit, enable proximity notifications. Nifl will start surfacing those places as you walk past them.
The whole point is to break the cycle. From today, save in Nifl. Google Maps is for navigation, not saving.
The Bigger Picture
You saved those places for a reason. The café your friend mentioned. The restaurant from that one trip. The hidden park someone recommended at a
Nifl turns saved places into real plans.
Save places from TikTok and Instagram, organise them into collections, plan visits with a calendar, and get notified when you're nearby.