Google quietly updated its privacy settings in June 2026 to allow the company to store and use uploaded media — including images, files, audio recordings, and video — to train its AI models. Users were notified via email, but the change applied automatically, opting people in by default.
The update affects a broad range of Google services beyond Search, including Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News. Practical examples include photos taken through Google Lens, voice recordings made through the Search Live feature or standard voice search, and audio captured when using Google Translate’s speaking practice function. Google confirmed the practice directly in its customer email, stating: “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.”
The change also restructured how privacy settings are organized. Previously, users could manage saved search data through a single “Web & App Activity” setting. That has now been split into two separate controls: Web & App Activity and a new Search Services History setting. As a result, users who previously adjusted Web & App Activity to limit data storage will find that change no longer applies to Google Search services — those now require a separate opt-out.
Google says the shift reflects an effort to give users more control over saved history and personalized recommendations. The company noted it uses saved history to “provide, develop, and improve its services (such as training generative AI models) and to protect Google, its users, and the public with the help of human reviewers.”
Users who want to opt out can visit the Search Services History settings page and uncheck the “Save Media” box, the “Search Services History” box, or both. The settings page also allows users to configure automatic data deletion after 3, 18, or 36 months. Additional privacy controls covering Web & App Activity, Timeline, and YouTube History are available through a separate Google privacy settings page.
Source: TechCrunch