Troubleshooting Common Google Takeout Errors & Metadata Glitches

Problem 1: The 47-Character Filename Truncation Bug

One of the most perplexing anomalies in Google Takeout archives is truncated filenames. When Google's export packager creates ZIP archives, it caps file entry names at approximately 47 characters before the extension.

Because the image name is truncated while the JSON sidecar retains the full original title (or truncates at a different byte boundary), naive string matching algorithms fail completely.

Problem 2: Parenthesis Placement in Duplicates and Copies

When multiple photos share identical names, or when you export copies, Takeout appends numeric counters. However, the placement of the number in the JSON file is inconsistent:

• Media file: IMG_1024(1).jpg
• Sidecar Pattern A: IMG_1024(1).jpg.json
• Sidecar Pattern B: IMG_1024.jpg(1).json
• Sidecar Pattern C: IMG_1024.json(1)

Standard batch scripts fail when encountering Pattern B and C. TakeoutFix normalizes suffix permutations automatically, stripping trailing numbers and inspecting candidate sidecars within the same subfolder.

Problem 3: Missing GPS Data in Shared Album Exports

If you download photos that were part of a "Shared Album", you may inspect the JSON sidecar and find:

"geoData": {
  "latitude": 0.0,
  "longitude": 0.0,
  "altitude": 0.0
}

This is an intentional Google privacy safeguard. When photos are shared in group albums or collaborative links, Google strips location coordinates to protect contributors.

Problem 4: Timezone Shifts (UTC vs. Local Time)

Google Takeout exports timestamp values as UTC Unix epoch seconds in photoTakenTime.timestamp.

However, standard camera EXIF (DateTimeOriginal) does not natively specify a timezone offset unless tag 0x9011 (OffsetTimeOriginal) is populated. If a tool writes UTC time as local time without offset compensation, a photo taken at 8:00 PM in California (UTC-7) will display as 3:00 AM the next day.

TakeoutFix reconciles the formatted local string (formatted field) against the UTC timestamp to derive the original shooting timezone, embedding proper EXIF 2.31/2.32 offset tags (OffsetTime, OffsetTimeOriginal) so your photos display the correct local capture hour anywhere in the world.

Problem 5: Apple Live Photo Separation (HEIC + MOV)

On iOS, a Live Photo is comprised of a still image (.HEIC) and a short video clip (.MOV) sharing a common Content Identifier UUID in their metadata.

Google Takeout exports both files, but frequently only provides a JSON sidecar for the HEIC file, leaving the companion MOV without direct metadata. TakeoutFix correlates the still HEIC and video MOV files using name matching and embeds matching QuickTime creation dates into the video stream so Apple Photos and Google Photos recognize them as a unified Live Photo upon re-import.