Google Settings 🔒 8 Settings You Should Change Now!

Google is always keeping an eye on our locations, how we interact with its services, our browsing habits, and much more. While it claims this data collection improves the user experience, it often comes at the expense of our privacy. To take control of your information, here are some settings you should adjust in your Google account. 🔒🛠️

1 Pause Web and App Activity

Google records your interactions across its apps and services, such as Search, Google Play, Maps, and Chrome, to improve its services, speed up searches, and offer personalized recommendations. However, if you prefer not to be tracked across your browsing, app usage, and location, you can disable Web & App Activity in your Google Account.

To do this, open your Google account and go to the "Data & Privacy" section in the left sidebar. Scroll down to History Settings and click "Web & App Activity." If tracking is enabled, click the drop-down menu and select "Turn off." You can also choose "Turn off and delete Google Activity" to delete any existing activity records.

2 Disconnect Third Party Services

When you sign in to third-party apps or services using your Google account, they gain access to certain data related to your account. We often forget to disconnect these apps, even after we stop using them, allowing them to continue tracking our information and compromising our privacy. You should review these connections and revoke access if necessary.

Open your Google account and navigate to "Data & Privacy" in the left sidebar. Scroll down to "Third-Party Apps & Services," locate the apps you no longer use or don't trust, click on each app to see what data it has access to, and select "Remove All Connections You Have With." Finally, click "Confirm" to remove its access.

Remember that once you revoke access to an app, you won't be able to use it with your Google Account until you sign in and grant it permissions again. 🔑

3 Disable YouTube History

Google tracks the videos you watch on YouTube, your searches, and how you interact with the platform. This data helps YouTube remember where you left off, provide personalized recommendations, and improve your overall experience. However, it stores your viewing habits indefinitely. To maintain your privacy, consider disabling YouTube History.

To do this, go to your Google account and select "Data & Privacy" from the left sidebar. Scroll down to "YouTube History" in your history settings, click "Turn Off," and confirm by selecting "Pause" in the pop-up window. Disabling YouTube History doesn't delete your past activity; Google may still use it for personalization.

If you'd also like to delete your old history, choose "Delete Old Activity" when you pause, select "All Time," and click "Delete" to completely erase it. 🗑️

4 Disable Personalized Ads

Google uses data from your account and your interactions with its apps and services to personalize the ads you see on Google platforms and partner websites. While personalized ads can provide more relevant recommendations, this level of tracking can be intrusive. If you prefer more privacy, you can completely disable ad personalization or limit the data Google uses.

To completely turn off ad personalization, navigate to your Google account, select "Data and Privacy" in the left sidebar and click "My Ad Center" under Personalized Ads. Use the dropdown menu next to Personalized Ads to turn it off. You can also limit personalization instead of turning it off. 🔕

Click on areas like "Relationships," "Industry," or activity data like "Web & App Activity" or "YouTube History," and toggle the switch to "Off."

To prevent Google from showing personalized ads on partner websites, go to "Partner Ads Settings" and turn off the switch. 🚫

5 Turn off Timeline History (Formerly Location History)

If you use Google Maps, Google tracks and records your location history, including the routes you've taken and the places you visit. This data allows companies to more effectively target you with ads. It also allows you to review your travel history, relive experiences, or reuse routes for future travel plans.

While this feature can be useful, you may prefer to keep your location private by turning off Timeline History.

To turn off location tracking, go to your Google account, select "Data & Privacy" in the left sidebar, and navigate to "Timeline" in the history settings. Choose "Turn Off" from the drop-down menu. If you want to delete your existing timeline data, select "Turn Off and Delete Activity." Follow the on-screen instructions, click "Next," and confirm by selecting "Delete."

Remember that once this data is deleted, it will be permanently erased and cannot be recovered later.

6 Disable Search Personalization

Google uses data from your account, including search history, streaming preferences, interests, and more, to personalize your search experience. This affects things like the stories you see in Discover, search bar suggestions, and movie recommendations. If you'd rather not have Google personalize your search, you can turn this feature off.

To do so, go to "Data and Privacy" In the left sidebar, click "Search Personalization" and turn off the switch next to "Personalize Search."

7 Don't Share Your Location with Unknown People

Google allows you to share your real-time location with selected people. This allows them to see your name, photo, and location across Google services, even when you're not using location-based services like Maps. If you're headed to a specific area, they can also choose to receive a notification when you arrive.

Location sharing can be useful for tracking the whereabouts of older or less tech-savvy individuals, but it can also create privacy risks if you forget to turn it off. To review and stop sharing your location with anyone, go to "Data & Privacy" > "Location Sharing" and turn off the option to share with anyone you no longer want to share it with.

8 Stop Google from Tracking Your Health

If you use Google Fit to track your health and fitness, Google stores data about your steps, exercises, heart rate, and overall well-being in your account. While this helps you track your health and you can export data when needed, you may not want to trust Google with your health information. To protect your privacy, you should manage your Google Fit privacy settings.

Go to "Data & Privacy" in the left sidebar and click "Manage Google Fit Privacy." Review the devices on which you're signed in to Fit, remove any unsecured devices, stop sharing data with Google Assistant, and turn off personalization of the Fit experience. Also, turn off Google's ability to save new health metrics or cycle tracking data in your Fit Data Permissions settings.

Google tracks more data than necessary, and while it doesn't directly sell your information, it cleverly uses it to generate revenue through ads and third-party partnerships. Therefore, it's crucial to know what data Google stores about you. By following the tips above and adjusting your Google account settings, you can regain control over your privacy. 🛡️✨