How to Find and Use the New Google Privacy Tools (Updated)
Google recently announced several new features that give users more control over their data, including three new privacy settings for Google Maps, YouTube and Google Assistant, and a new password security monitoring tool. Here’s a rundown of each of the new features, how to find them, and why you might want to try them out.
Google Maps in incognito mode
Google will soon be adding incognito mode to Google Maps, which will allow users to search and navigate locations without saving their activity to their accounts. Google Maps incognito mode is now available on Android and is expected to launch on iOS in the near future.
To turn on Google Maps incognito mode, open the app, tap your profile picture next to the search bar, then tap Turn on incognito mode.
The new incognito mode gives users control over how much of their location history is collected and uploaded to Google – for much the same reason that incognito modes exist in Chrome and YouTube . While you can already delete your location history and Maps activity from your Google account and even turn off GPS settings entirely on your device , incognito mode is much more convenient.
Auto delete YouTube history
YouTube has already given users granular control over their browsing and search history, but you can now delete YouTube data every few months if you want.
This feature already exists for web activity and location, and it works the same way on YouTube. Users set a frequency for deleting their history – currently every three or 18 months – and Google will automatically delete all stored data at that point.
You can set this up right now by going to the My Activities page in your Google YouTube account , then clicking / tapping on the Select to be automatically deleted link and choosing the interval that is right for you. However, if you prefer to manually delete your YouTube history (in bulk or selectively), or even pause YouTube activity tracking entirely, you can learn how to do it here .
Remove recent Google Assistant commands
You can now tell Google Assistant to delete your recent voice activity using simple voice controls like “Ok Google, delete what I just said” or “delete what I said on [date]”. Unfortunately, you can only delete the previous voice. This way you can manage the activity in the past seven days, but the older Google Assistant data can be easily managed and cleared in the Google Assistant app or in the My Activities menu of your Google account.
While we were only limited to the last week of activity, we’re happy to see Google finally catching up with Amazon’s recent Alexa updates and letting you verbally instruct Google Assistant to delete your history.
Google password check
Finally, Google is now directly integrating its password protection tool into its password manager . Password Checker monitors your login information and alerts you if:
- The password is too weak
- You use the same password too often,
- Or if your credentials are the same as in the list of data leaks.
To run verification, go to passwords.google.com and click the Check Passwords link, then click Check Passwords again on the next page. You will be asked to verify your identity by logging into your Google account. The review will take some time, after which you will receive a report card with the proposed changes, if any.
Some readers may be skeptical about giving Google access to your login information, but Google at least seems to be taking steps to keep your accounts secure. Google’s official announcement of the new password verification feature emphasizes that the process is completely encrypted and Google does not collect, transmit or allow the company to see your password details.
Whether you take Google’s word for it is up to you, but it looks like it is aware of potential security issues. However, you might want to look into a different password manager instead if using Google’s password service makes you squeamish, and if you’re feeling really uncomfortable, you can always log out of Google altogether .
Updated on 11/01/2019 when Google Maps incognito mode is publicly launched on Android.