Google announced in 2026 that it is changing how it stores user interactions with its Search products, introducing a new “Search Services History” setting that will save the images, files, audio, and video people use when searching.
The change affects a range of Google tools, including images searched via Google Lens, real-time recordings from its Search Live feature, standard voice searches, and phrases spoken into Google Translate. Google notified users of the update via email and published details on its website.
Under the new setting, Google says it will use saved Search Services History to “provide, develop, and improve its services,” which includes training its AI models. If users also enable a separate “Personalized Recommendations” setting, Google will additionally use the data to serve personalized suggestions and ads.
These two new settings — Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations — will be distinct from Google’s existing Web & App Activity option, which previously covered search-related interactions and some toggles for saving audio and visual searches.
Users who want to opt out can switch off Search Services History and disable the “Save Media” option. Google says that anyone who has already blocked search history saving through Web & App Activity will have Search Services History switched off by default when the transition occurs. Existing personalization preferences will also carry over. Google expects the new settings to roll out over the “next few months.”
The change means that media inputs — such as photos taken with Lens or audio recorded during a live search — may now be retained and used for AI development unless users actively turn off the new setting, making it worth reviewing privacy preferences ahead of the rollout.
Source: The Verge