Google is rolling out a new privacy setting called Search Services History that could allow the company to use your photos, voice recordings, and other media to train its artificial intelligence models. The change, which applies to users signed into their Google accounts, goes beyond traditional search history and includes images uploaded through Google Lens, voice searches, Search Live recordings, and Translate speaking practice audio.
The setting controls whether Google saves activity from its Search services, and it includes a Save Media option that, when enabled, allows the company to store media from your interactions. According to Google, this saved media may be used to improve its AI models and technologies. This means that a photo you took of a plant to identify it, a voice command you gave while driving, or an audio clip from practicing a foreign language could all contribute to training Google's generative AI systems.
Google says the new settings are based on users' prior choices for Web & App Activity and Search Personalization. If those were turned on, the new Search Services History setting may also be enabled by default. If they were off, the new setting should be off as well. However, the company warns that turning off Save Media does not automatically delete media that was already saved. Previously saved media may continue to be used to improve Google's technologies unless users delete it from their accounts.
Once media has been selected to train AI models, Google says it is no longer connected to the user's account and may be kept for up to four years. This means that deleting the original activity may not remove the media from the AI-training pipeline. Users can check their settings from a phone or computer, but experts recommend using a computer for easier navigation of the account controls.
The Save Media setting does not cover all Google services. It does not affect separate activity settings for Gemini Apps, YouTube, NotebookLM, or Google Voice, which have their own controls. Additionally, turning off Save Media stops Google from saving media from future Search services interactions as part of Search Services History, but text-based activity, transcripts, and some AI responses may still be saved if Search Services History remains on.
Google says that media from future interactions can still be used to respond to users and help keep services safe. The key difference is that future media should not be used to train Google's generative AI models unless users provide feedback. This distinction is meaningful but does not mean that using Google involves no data collection at all.
Privacy experts urge users to review their settings now, especially if they use Google Lens, voice search, Translate, or AI Mode. The Save Media box is the one to look for first. If users do not want their images, files, audio, or video saved for future AI improvement, they should turn it off. Then, they should go further and review old activity, as turning off a setting usually protects future data but past items may still sit in the account unless deleted.
Users are also advised to repeat the process for every Google account they use, including personal, work, or old accounts that may still be signed in somewhere. The change is part of a broader trend where companies update privacy settings in ways that can easily go unnoticed, as the language sounds helpful and the settings live inside account controls.
This development comes amid growing scrutiny of how tech companies handle user data for AI training. Other companies, including Apple and Meta, have faced similar questions about using customer data to improve their AI systems. Google's move highlights the trade-off between personalized features and privacy, as users may get more tailored experiences but also provide more personal inputs to the tools they already use.