Google Expands Control Over Search History and Personalization

Google is introducing new tools to manage user data across its services. In the coming weeks, the company will launch two separate settings: 'Search Services History' and 'Personalized Recommendations.' These will allow users to precisely control which data is stored and how it is used to generate recommendations.

The new 'Search Services History' setting will include data from Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, and other key Google services. However, it will not affect information from Chrome, YouTube, or Gemini apps, as these platforms already have their own history management mechanisms. Additionally, a 'Media Saving' option will be introduced to store uploaded images via Google Lens and audio recordings from Search Live.

The 'Personalized Recommendations' setting will govern the display of content tailored to user interests, including search results and feed recommendations. Google will retain users' existing preferences: if 'Web & App Activity' was previously enabled but personalization was disabled, the new settings will apply similar rules.

The company emphasizes that the old 'Web & App Activity' settings will continue to apply to certain services. Users will still be able to configure data retention periods and manually delete data. The updates will be rolled out gradually, and data management will remain within existing parameters until then.