Google releases new privacy controls for activity history, personalization

Google has announced new privacy controls that separate Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations from the existing Web & App Activity settings, effective in the next few days. The changes apply to Search services such as Search, Maps, Shopping, Hotels, Flights, Translate, and News, as well as Google Play, giving users the ability to choose whether to save activity and whether to use that data for personalization. The new Save Media subsetting will automatically turn on for users with Web & App Activity enabled, and will include images, files, audio, and video from interactions like Google Lens searches or voice‑based queries. Users can delete individual media items or turn off the media‑saving option at any time, and the auto‑delete period set in Web & App Activity will carry over to the new settings. Google’s email to users indicates the change will appear in their Google Account over the next few days, and the company emphasizes that the new controls do not affect other services. The separation allows users to keep history for convenience while opting out of personalized recommendations, a feature that was previously managed under a single switch. The update also introduces Play History and Personalization settings for Google Play, even for users who have never used the service. The rollout reflects Google’s ongoing effort to give users more granular control over their data across its ecosystem.