MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 15 (San Francisco News Online) — Google is rolling out a new Search-related privacy control called Search Services History for signed-in Google Account users. The setting lets Google save activity from its Search services, and the items it can capture go beyond typed queries.
According to Google’s documentation, Search Services History may include Google Lens images, voice search recordings, Search Live recordings and transcripts, Translate speaking-practice audio, uploaded files and some other activity information. Google also offers a separate Save Media control under Search Services History for deciding whether media from those interactions can be stored.
Google says saved media may be used to improve its services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures. In the documents cited in coverage of the change, Google also says media that has already been selected to train AI models is no longer connected to the account and may be kept for up to four years.
What changes for users is the level of control. Google’s documentation describes Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations as separate controls, rather than one combined setting. Google also says the rollout is gradual, so some users may not see the new option right away. Until the new setting reaches an account, Google says Web & App Activity may still control some Search-services history.
How can someone turn it off? Google’s instructions point users to My Activity at myactivity.google.com. From there, they can turn off Search Services History or uncheck Save Media. Google’s documentation says turning off Save Media does not automatically delete media already saved, so users who want that content removed would need to delete it from their account.
The setting matters because it affects more than one Google product. Coverage of Google’s notification says the change can apply across Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, News, AI Mode and Ask Maps threads that include file uploads. One report, citing Google’s documentation, also said Google Photos is not part of the policy and that the change applies to media actively sent through Search and AI tools.
For people who use Google Search, the main question is simple: if you use Lens, voice search, file uploads or similar tools while signed in, Google may now store some of that activity under a search-specific history setting, and some of it may be used to help train and improve AI systems unless the setting is turned off.
