I have been a long-time user of Arc Timeline. Two months ago, I upgraded to Arc Timeline 4. The transition was somewhat confusing, and I am unsure if all my data was imported correctly. To be safe, I have been running four apps in parallel: Arc Timeline 4, Arc Timeline, Arc Recorder, and Arc Mini. I would now like to keep only Arc Timeline 4 and remove the others.
- Is Arc Timeline 4 sufficient on its own for a standard setup?
- How can I verify that all my data was successfully imported so I can safely delete the other apps?
Thank you for your help!
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Hi locococo — welcome, and good instinct to check before deleting anything. Taking your two questions in order:
Is Arc Timeline 4 sufficient on its own? Yes. It records and edits by itself — it’s the complete setup going forward. The old multi-app arrangement (Arc Timeline + Arc Recorder) split those jobs across two apps, and Arc Mini is long-deprecated. Running the old ones alongside doesn’t help Arc Timeline 4 at all.
Verifying before you delete: the practical method is memorable anchors. Pick a handful spread across your years of history — an old holiday, a house move, a regular place from years back — and check those days in Arc Timeline 4’s timeline. You know what should be there, which beats random sampling. One more check worth doing: open the calendar on the timeline tab in both apps and compare how far back they reach — Arc Timeline 4 should have the same earliest day as the old app.
Removal order I’d suggest:
- Arc Mini: delete now — it’s deprecated and can interact badly with the other apps.
- Arc Timeline (old app): turn its recording off (the toggle is at the bottom of its Settings tab), but keep the app installed for a couple more weeks while you do the verification above.
- Arc Recorder: delete once the old app’s recording is off — its only job was supporting the old app.
- Arc Timeline (old app): delete once you’re satisfied everything’s in Arc Timeline 4.
And a final step worth doing regardless: turn on automatic backups in Arc Timeline 4 (Settings → Backup & Restore). They write a complete copy of your data to iCloud Drive and keep it updated every few hours, so you’re fully covered going forward.