There are few emails that make your stomach drop faster than one about “new privacy settings.” That usually means a company has moved another data switch, renamed a control or tucked a new choice inside an account menu you rarely visit. Google is now rolling out one of those changes for Search services. The setting is called Search Services History. It controls whether Google saves your activity from Search services when you are signed into your Google Account.
That may sound routine at first. Most of us already know Google can save search history. However, this update goes beyond the old idea of typed searches in a box. Google says Search Services History can include images you upload, files you ask about, voice searches, Search Live recordings, Translate speaking practice audio and other interactions with Search services.
The part that should make you pause is the Save Media setting. When it is turned on, Google can save media from your Search services interactions. That saved media may be used to improve Googles AI models and technologies. In other words, the random photo you searched with Google Lens or the voice recording you used in a Search feature may help improve Googles AI.
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Google says Search Services History may include your searches, results you view, AI Mode responses, voice search recordings, Search Live transcripts, Google Lens images, uploaded files and some information tied to your activity.
Maybe you used Google Lens to identify a plant. Perhaps you uploaded an image to search for a product. You might have used Translate to practice before a trip. Or maybe you asked a question by voice because your hands were full. All of that can feel harmless in the moment. Still, the bigger issue is where that data can go after it is saved.
Google says saved media may help you revisit past visual searches or continue a Search Live conversation. That can be useful. However, Google also says saved media may help develop and improve AI models and technologies. That is the trade-off. You may get more personalized features. Google may get more personal inputs from the tools you already use.
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This is the kind of privacy change that can slide right past you. The language sounds helpful. The setting lives inside account controls. The rollout happens gradually, so you may not see it right away. That is exactly why you should check.
Google says the new settings are based on your prior choices for
