"updating our settings to give you even more control over saved history and personalized recommendations across Google Search services and Google Play," Google wrote in an email to users, describing a planned change that will split long-standing account controls into more focused settings.
What Google is changing in Search services
Google told users that Search services — which it defines as "Search, Maps, Shopping, Hotels, Flights, Translate, and News" — will gain two new, separate controls in Google Accounts: Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations. The company said users will see the change in their Google Account "over the next few days."
Until now, these functions were managed under Web & App Activity. Google described that page as a place where users could "keep track of your web visits and the apps you use on your phone." Going forward, Google said, "Previously, saving history and personalization were managed by Web & App Activity. Going forward, you can better tailor your Search services experience using your new Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings."
Search Services History: what is saved and why
Search Services History will control whether Google saves activity from the enumerated Search services to a Google Account. Google lists the activities that can be saved: searches, Maps activity, Shopping searches, Flights and Hotels activity, Translate usage, News activity, and more. The company said the change is intended to make it easier to "revisit previous searches and continue using newer interactive Search experiences."
Google also said Search Services History now includes media from interactions — for example, visual searches with Google Lens or audio from voice-based interactions — and users can stop saving that media at any time.
Saved media, AI models, and user controls
Google described saved media explicitly: "Saved media includes your images, files, audio and video from your interactions with Search services to help improve your experience." The company gave examples such as revisiting past visual searches with Lens or continuing a "Search Live conversation about a song you heard."
Crucially, Google acknowledged that saved media "is also used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures." At the same time, the company said it "appl[ies] robust privacy and security protections" to that data and that users can turn off the Save Media subsetting at any time and "delete individual pieces of media from your history."
Personalized Recommendations and separation of controls
Google is making personalization a separate toggle. The new Personalized Recommendations setting will control whether Google uses saved Search Services History data to tailor what each user sees. Google framed the distinction plainly: Search Services History controls whether activity is saved, while Personalized Recommendations controls whether that saved data is used for personalization.
Google emphasized that after the transition, Web & App Activity will be separate from Search services' history and personalization settings, and that "changes to one setting will not affect the others." The company also said prior choices about how long history is saved under Web & App Activity "will also apply to Search Services History and Play History."
Google Play: Play History and Personalization in Play
Google is applying the same approach to Google Play. The company said users will find new Play History and Personalization in Play settings in their accounts, and that these settings "will appear even if you have never used Google Play." As with Search, those Play controls can be turned on or off at any time.
Google also noted continuity: "Your prior choice from Web & App Activity for how long your history is saved will also apply to Search Services History and Play History." Users can change the auto-delete period, manually review their history, or delete activity at any time, Google said.
What this means for end users, technologists, and Play users
- End users and the general public: Check your Google Account when the new settings appear. If Web & App Activity is currently turned on, Google says Search Services History and the Save Media subsetting will be enabled after the transition, but you can later turn off Save Media and delete individual items from your history.
- Technologists and product teams: Be aware that Google states saved media "is also used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures." That usage, and Google's claim of "robust privacy and security protections," will be central to how these data flows affect product behavior.
- Google Play users: New Play History and Personalization in Play settings will show up even for accounts that have never used the store; existing choices about auto-delete of history will carry forward and remain adjustable.
The rollout is a change in architecture more than an outright policy reversal: Google separates storage from personalization and gives users direct toggles for both. The company says that the new settings will reflect prior choices and that users retain the ability to change auto-delete timelines, manually review histories, and delete individual items. Users should expect to see the controls in their Google Account in the next few days and may want to review them to ensure the saved media and personalization settings match their preferences.
