MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 15 (San Francisco News Online) — Google is rolling out a new Search privacy control called Search Services History, and it changes what the company can save from a user’s Search activity when that person is signed in to a Google Account.
The setting is part of a broader update to Google’s Search privacy tools. According to Google’s documentation, Search Services History can cover more than typed searches. It may include Google Lens images, voice search recordings, Search Live recordings or transcripts, Translate speaking-practice audio, uploaded files and some activity information.
What is Search Services History?
Google says Search Services History is the setting that controls whether it saves activity from Search services tied to a signed-in account. In other words, it is not just a record of words typed into a search box. It can also include media and audio that people send to Google through search-related tools.
That matters because those materials can be more personal than a text query. A photo used in Lens, a voice recording, or a file uploaded into a search or AI feature can reveal more about a person than a simple search term.
What does Google say it uses the data for?
Google’s documentation says saved media may be “used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.”
A Google spokesperson, Davis Thompson, said the new settings help users get more relevant results and revisit searches, and can be turned on or off at any time.
What is the Save Media setting?
Google also shows a separate Save Media control under Search Services History. When it is turned on, Google can save media from Search interactions.
That is the key switch for people who do not want Google to keep images, voice recordings or other uploaded media from search-related tools. The company’s help text says users can turn the feature off at any time.
Does this affect other Google settings?
Google says the new control is separate from Web & App Activity. PCMag and TechTimes reported that Google split the old controls so Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations are managed separately.
At the same time, Google’s rollout guidance says the change is arriving gradually. Some users may not see the new setting yet, and until it reaches their account, Web & App Activity may still control some Search services history.
That means two people could have different privacy menus for a while, depending on whether the update has reached their account.
How do you turn it off?
Google says users can go to My Activity at myactivity.google.com and turn off Search Services History or uncheck Save Media.
If the setting is already on, turning it off does not automatically erase everything Google has already saved. Google’s documentation says previously saved media may still remain in the account unless it is deleted.
The company also says media that has already been selected for AI training is no longer connected to the account and may be kept for up to four years.
What if the setting has not shown up yet?
Google says the rollout is not immediate for everyone. If the new control has not appeared in an account yet, users may still be seeing older Search privacy controls while the update continues to spread.
That is why Google advises users to check the account’s privacy settings rather than assuming the new menu has already arrived.
What is still unclear?
The reporting available so far does not include a full public launch announcement from Google, and it does not show an independent technical review of how the training pipeline uses the saved media.
One report said Google Photos is not part of the change, but the broader documentation shared in the coverage focuses on media actively sent through Search and related tools.
For now, the practical takeaway is simple: if you use Google Search, Lens, voice search or related tools while signed in, Google may store some of that media under Search Services History unless you turn the setting off.
