If you use any of Google’s apps on your iPhone or Android device, there is a significant probability that the search giant is tracking you. Although the location history feature of your Google account is off by default, you may not be out of the woods yet.
Some Google apps may still store your location information; launching the Google Maps app or using Google search on any device registers your approximate position with a timestamp.
Following a 2018 investigation by the Associated Press, Google added features to make it easier to regulate what location and other data is retained and removed. These include Your Data in Maps and Search, which provide easy access to your location choices.
In January, though, Google was sued by multiple states for its use of location data. According to the claims, Google makes it “almost difficult” for individuals to avoid their location from being tracked. Google responded to the accusations by asserting that they were false and based on out-of-date assumptions about its settings.
The good news is that you may check certain settings to ensure that Google is not tracking you. We will explain how to disable Google monitoring and the potential consequences of doing so.
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Turn off Google’s tracking of your location
Here’s how to entirely disable Google’s ability to record your location:
1. Open Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser and sign in to your Google account by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Manage your Google account by clicking your user symbol in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Privacy & personalization.
4. Select Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.
5. Select Location history inside the Histories settings menu. This opens the Activity Controls window.
6. Click the icon to the right of Location History that reads Turn off. This activates a pop-up window.
7. Scroll to the window’s bottom and click Pause.
Turning off location history just eliminates where you’ve been from the Google Maps Timeline, which logs your location with precise data at a particular moment. According to Google’s help page on the subject, “certain location data may continue to be kept in other settings,” such as your browsing and app activity, even when location services are disabled. Google informed us that it utilises this information to make its services more tailored and useful and that it is never shared with third parties or advertising. But if you’re still not happy with that, you may take a few additional steps to prevent Google from knowing your whereabouts at all times.
What is Google prevented from storing as a result?
Stopping this setting disables Google from saving location markers linked with particular actions and stops the storage of information acquired from searches and other actions. Turning it off keeps your estimated position and other locations, such as your home address, confidential.
Note that in order to use certain functions, such as the Maps app, Google must still access your location. Nonetheless, following the aforementioned procedures prohibits it from storing future behaviour. To safeguard personal privacy, when Google timestamps your activity within a general area, it does it over a larger area than one square mile and often includes more than 1,000 people. According to Google’s help page on the subject, this enables them to spot odd activity, such as a sign-in from a different city, while respecting user privacy.
You can, however, offer Google permission to utilise your precise location — your particular location, such as a specific address — to provide the most relevant search results for your current location.
The pros and cons of disabling Google tracking
Disabling this default option has some disadvantages. While Google’s settings may appear intrusive to some, they contribute to an ultra-personalized online experience by, for example, allowing users to identify nearby companies rather than those located in another state and displaying customised advertisements. According to Google, they help provide users with more relevant information rather than random information.
Turning off tracking will result in less relevant advertisements, less helpful search suggestions, and a less personalised search engine, apps, and services experience overall. If you prefer tailored advertisements, turning off tracking will prevent Google from guessing what you may be interested in. However, for people who place privacy above everything else, disabling this setting may be worth the sacrifice of specificity.
You can protect your privacy at the expense of a personalised Internet experience, or you can continue to receive relevant advertisements and search suggestions rather than more random, unfiltered content.
Remove previous location history
Disabling tracking prevents Google from storing new location data but does not remove previously collected data. Here’s how to erase those details:
1. Open Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser and sign in to your Google account by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner.
2. After logging in, select Manage your Google account by clicking the user icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Privacy & personalization.
4. Select Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.
5. Select Location history inside the Histories settings box. This opens Activity Controls.
6. Click Manage history near the page’s footer. This opens a map that includes a timeline in the upper left corner. The map indicates where you’ve gone, while the timeline indicates where you were and when.
7. Click the date in the timeline to erase your location for a specific date. This date will then appear beneath the timeline. Click the trash icon to the right of the date to remove it. In the popup that appears, click Delete day.
8. Click the trash symbol near the bottom right corner of the map to remove all of your location history at once. Check the box labelled I understand and want to delete all Location History. Click the Delete location history.
Stop Google from tracking your online and app usage
When you create a new Google account, Google reduces the amount of data it collects by defaulting to maintaining only 18 months of online and app activity — anything older than that is instantly erased. Here’s how to prevent Google from collecting your site and app activities in the future:
1. Open Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser and sign in to your Google account by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner.
2. After logging in, select Manage your Google account by clicking the user icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Privacy & personalization.
4. Select Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.
5. Click Web & App Activity inside the History settings box. This opens Activity Controls.
6. Click Turn off underneath Web & App Activity.
7. Click Pause in the popup that appears.
8. Select Got it.
Delete your location and activity history automatically
If you wish to have your location and activity information automatically destroyed at specified intervals, you can also have Google delete your history automatically.
1. Open Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser and sign in to your Google account by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner.
2. After logging in, select Manage your Google account by clicking the user icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Privacy & personalization.
4. Select Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.
5. Click Web & App Activity or Location History in the box labelled History settings. This opens the Activity Controls for the desired setting.
6. Click Choose an auto-delete option under Auto-delete.
7. In the Auto-delete activity older than drop-down menu, select the desired timeframe (3 months, 18 months, or 36 months).
8. Select Next
9. Click Confirm.
Delete your entire Google web and app history
Even if you’ve prevented Google from tracking your site and app activities, Google still has your historical data. Here’s how to remove web and app history:
1. Open Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser and sign in to your Google account by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner.
2. After logging in, select Manage your Google account by clicking the user icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Privacy & personalization.
4. Select Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.
5. Click Web & App Activity inside the History settings box. This opens the Activity Controls.
6. Click Manage all Web & App Activity near the bottom of the screen.
7. Click the Delete button to the right of Search your activity.
8. In the new window, you may choose to erase Web and App Activity from the Last hour, Last day, All time, or a Custom range. Choose All time.
9. A new window will open, prompting you to select the services from which to remove the activity. Select all is selected by default, but you can pick and choose specific apps or services to erase information from. When you are satisfied with your decision, click Next.
10. A pop-up window appears that states Confirm you would like to delete the following activity near the top. Click the Delete button near the bottom of the page.
11. Click Got it.
Learn how to determine if Google is tracking you, how much data Google collects, and how to hide your location from Google Maps. You can also remove your Google history automatically.
