Check the Default Auto-Delete Settings on Your New Google Accounts
Newly created Google accounts will include automatic deletion by default for all data types – a feature that users previously had to select.
Google stores your data, which it uses to crawl content and ads on its services, in three categories:
- Website and app history (including Chrome browsing history, Google Assistant voice and audio data)
- YouTube search and browsing history
- Google Maps history and GPS location data
Google will now automatically delete location history and website / app data after 18 months and YouTube history after three years by default on all new accounts. This means you don’t have to remember to update your auto-uninstall settings or go in and manually delete your activity.
However, if you would prefer to have your data automatically deleted earlier than 18 months (or three years!), You can update your automatic deletion settings after three months – a process we will explain below.
Keep in mind that this new policy only applies to new accounts, which means you will still have to enable automatic deletion for existing Google accounts. We’ve got a complete guide to the process (and why it’s important), but here’s a quick overview:
In the Google Action Control Panel, click Action Controls in the left sidebar. Scroll down to the type of data you want to manage and click Auto Delete . Turn on the time frame (three months or 18 months) in the pop-up window and click Next> Confirm .
Please be aware that you will have to go through this process separately for your browsing and app activities, location services, and YouTube auto-delete history settings.
Unfortunately, you cannot completely opt out of data collection by Google. But enabling automatic deletion (on existing accounts) or updating time frames (for new accounts) helps protect your privacy and ensure that Google makes content recommendations based on your current preferences.