Google is rolling out new privacy controls for activity history, personalization

Google is rolling out new privacy controls for Search and Google Play services, giving you more control over saved history and personalized recommendations.

In an email titled “New privacy settings for Search services,” sent to users and seen by Bleeping Computer, Google said it’s “updating our settings to give you more control over saved history and personalized recommendations across Google Search services and Google Play.”

Google noted that Search services include “Search, Maps, Shopping, Hotels, Flights, Translate, and News,” and users will see the change in their Google Account in the next few days.

The company said it will offer different settings for saved history and personalized recommendations. However, if you have enabled the “Web and App Activity” feature, Google’s new option to save media for Search services will also be enabled after the change.

Until now, Google has allowed you to manage the history and personalization of Google services through Web and App functionality.

For example, web page and app activity allows you to track your web visits and the apps you use on your phone.

Google is now separating some of that into new controls called Search Services History and Custom Recommendations.

“Previously, archiving and personalization were managed by Web and App Services,” Google said in an email. “Going forward, you can better customize your Search services experience using the new Search Services History and personalized recommendation settings.”

“These settings allow you to revisit your previous searches and decide if you want to personalize them,” Google added.

Further, Search Services History will control whether Google saves your activity from Search Services in your Google Account. This may include your search, Maps activity, shopping search, flight and hotel activity, translation usage, news activity, and more.

Google says this will make it easier for you to revisit previous searches and continue using the new interactive Search experience.

“As people increasingly search in new ways, such as image searches with Lens, Search Services History now includes media from your interactions, which you can stop saving at any time,” Google noted in an email.

Google says that saved media can include images, files, audio, and video in your interactions

Although Google’s announcement gives you specific controls, there are important details to check.

In the email, Google says that saved media may include images, files, audio, and video from your interactions with Search services.

“Saved media includes your images, files, audio and video from your interactions with Search services to help improve your experience,” Google said.

This can include visual searches with Google Lens or audio from voice-based interactions. According to Google, this helps support an interactive product experience.

“For example, this allows you to revisit your previous visual searches with Lens or continue Searching for a live chat about a song you heard,” Google noted in an email. “To support these types of product interactions, Google will now store your media in your Search Services History, using strong privacy and security protections.”

However, saved media, such as Search Services history, can be used to improve and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and security systems.

“Like your Search Services history, your saved media is also used to improve and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and security measures,” Google said.

Google says it uses privacy and security safeguards, and the company says you can turn off the Save Media setting at any time. You can also delete individual pieces of media from your history.

If Web & App Activity is currently turned on for your account, Google says Search Services History will be turned on after the change, and the Media Storage submenu will be turned on.

Google also confirmed that you can turn off the option to save media over time and “remove individual pieces of media from your history.”

Personalization is also a different control

Google is also introducing a separate Personal Recommendations setting for Search services.

This will allow you to control whether Google personalizes your experience of Search services.

In other words, Search Services History controls whether activity is saved, while Personalized Recommendations control whether Google uses that saved data to compile what you see.

That classification is useful because some people may want their history saved for convenience, but may not want Google to make customized recommendations based on it.

After the change, Web and App Activity will be separated from Search services history and personalization settings. Google says that changes to one setting won’t affect the others.

Google Play also gets separate play history and personalization in Google Play settings

In the same email, Google says these settings will appear even if you’ve never used Google Play. Like the Search settings, they can be turned on or off at any time.

“On Google Play, you’ll have a new play history and personalization in Google Play settings, even if you’ve never used the service,” Google said.

Google says the new Search services and Google Play settings will reflect your latest Web and App Activity options and Search personalization settings.

“Your previous choice in Web and App Activity about how long your history is saved will also apply to Search Services History and Google Play History,” Google said.

So if you previously told Google to remove the activity after a certain period of time, that choice should carry over to the new settings. You can still change the automatic deletion time, update your history manually, or delete a job at any time.

This change is not necessarily bad. In fact, separating search history, Search personalization, Google Play history, and Google Play personalization gives you more direct control than a single broad switch for Web and App Activity.

However, you should check the settings once they appear in your Google account, especially if Web and App Services are currently turned on.

Google says users will see the change in their Google Account over the next few days.