Google rolling out new settings for Search Services History & Personalized Recommendations

Google Search is adding two new settings related to your history and personalization. The aim is to provide users with “more control over saved history and personalized recommendations.” This is rolling out over the coming weeks, and users are beginning to receive email and in-app notifications.

Previously, “Web & App Activity” and “Search Personalization” were responsible for Search history and personalization, respectively. Google is now offering two independent preferences “to help you better tailor your experience.”

The new Search Services History setting determines whether you want Google to save your queries (past searches) and other activity in Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News.

Search Services History includes things like your searches, info from sites you visit with Search services, and generative AI responses.

A new “subsetting” within Search Services History is Saved Media. If this preference is enabled, Google will save your images, files, audio, and video when using voice search, Google Lens, and Search Live. This can be disabled independently of the main setting, while you “can also delete individual pieces of media from your history.”

• “For example, this lets you revisit your past visual searches with Lens or continue a Search Live conversation about a song you heard.”
• “To support these types of interactive product experiences, Google will now save your media to your Search Services History, applying robust privacy and security protections. Like your Search Services History, your saved media is also used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.”

Meanwhile, the Personalized Recommendations setting controls personalization and whether results are customized to you.

Google will follow your previous settings to determine whether Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations are enabled or disabled. Your previous auto-delete increment will also be preserved.

If these are currently on, these new settings will stay on. If they’re off, the new settings will be off.

After receiving this email, the new Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings will go live over the next few days. This rollout will take place over the coming weeks.