Heads-up, my fellow Android-appreciating animals: Google’s in the midst of rolling out a subtle change to its privacy settings that’s well worth your while to notice.
The change includes a new clause that says the company can use images, files, video, and audio from your interactions with Google Lens, Search, and Gemini Live to train and improve its AI models.
By default, that switch will soon be on and active for your account.
But with about 20 seconds of one-time effort, you can opt out and flip it off (both literally and metaphorically, if you’re so inclined) once and for all.
Lemme show ya how.
**[Get level-headed knowledge in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Something new and useful every Friday — from my keyboard to your email.] **
First things first — the nature of the change: According to Google, starting in the next few days, a new “Search Services History” section within the general Google account settings will lead to a significant-seeming policy shift. As per an email the company sent out to users this week:
Your media [will now be] saved when Search Services History is on. Saved media includes your images, files, audio, and video from your interactions with Search services to help improve your experience. … Your saved media is also used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.
Riiiiiiiiiiight.
Now, to its credit, Google does say the data will never be associated with your account or identity once it’s used for these purposes, and it’ll rely on “filters” to “automatically remove a broad range of identifying info or sensitive personal information.” But still, whether you’re working with important corporate info or simply put off by the idea of your personal media being fed into the AI training machine, this may be news you aren’t exactly thrilled to hear.
If you’re finding AI increasingly creepy or you’re just not so keen on knowing whatever media you submit to search-related services will be used to train and develop AI for the future, now’s the time to proactively speak up and change your Google account settings to shut down this setup before it begins. That, unfortunately, is where things get slightly complicated — ’cause for most of us, this new Search Services History section doesn’t seem to be present and available just yet.
But that doesn’t mean you’re plum out of luck.
To start on your AI training opt-out adventure, make sure you’re signed into whatever Google account you rely on for work and/or personal purposes, then head to the Google Activity Controls page and see if
If you *do*, this is especially easy for you: Just use the option right then and there to disable the “Save Media” setting within that section, which will stop any media files from being saved and used without eliminating the *entire* history of things you’ve searched. (If you’d rather eliminate *all* of your Google Search history from being saved and used even for your own future discovery and recommendations, you can also opt to turn that entire section off. Just be aware that it may have some wide-reaching effects on the personalization you see across a lot of Google services.)
If you *don’t* see that section — and, again, that appears to be the case for most of us at this point — you’ve got two options for the moment:
The choice is ultimately 100% yours — but in this case, it’s up to you to take action and opt *yourself *out if you aren’t comfortable with the default. It’s an unfortunate position to be put in, but now you at least know what’s happening and how you can make your *own *decision to take back control.
Find the tips and tools that’ll actually help you with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. No hype, no nonsense — just useful new stuff in your inbox every Friday, from one (alleged) human to another.