MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 15 (San Francisco News Online) — Google is rolling out a new Search privacy control called Search Services History, a setting that can change what the company saves when people use its search tools while signed into a Google Account.
The new control matters because it reaches beyond typed searches. Google’s documentation, as reported by multiple outlets, says Search Services History can include Google Lens images, voice search recordings, Search Live recordings and transcripts, Translate speaking-practice audio, uploaded files and some other activity information.
What is Search Services History?
Search Services History is a setting tied to Google Search services. Google says it controls whether the company saves activity from those services for a signed-in account.
In Google’s current setup, the company appears to have split some controls that used to sit together. Reports based on Google’s documentation say Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations are handled separately from Web & App Activity, although the coverage does not fully agree on how that split works for every account during the rollout.
What does the Save Media option do?
Under Search Services History, Google has a Save Media sub-setting. When it is turned on, Google can save media from Search-related interactions, not just the text of a search.
Google’s documentation says saved media may be “used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.”
That is the part that has drawn the most attention: Google is saying media sent through Search tools may help train or improve AI systems.
Which Google tools are affected?
One report based on Google’s notification says the change applies across several Google services, including Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, News, AI Mode and Ask Maps threads with file uploads.
Google’s documentation, as reported, also says the feature is about media actively submitted through search and AI tools, not a user’s entire personal photo library. One report says Google Photos is excluded.
Is this the same as Web & App Activity?
Not exactly.
Google’s documentation describes Search Services History as a separate control from Web & App Activity. That means users may need to check a different setting than they used before.
At the same time, the reporting is not perfectly consistent on the details of the transition. Some coverage says Web & App Activity may still control some Search services history until the new rollout reaches a user’s account. Other reports say the settings have been decoupled going forward.
Why does the rollout matter?
Google says the change is rolling out gradually, so not every account will see it at the same time. Some users may find that the new control has not appeared yet.
That makes it important to check the account settings directly rather than assume an old privacy setting still applies.
How can users turn it off?
Google’s instructions point users to My Activity at myactivity.google.com. From there, people can turn off Search Services History or uncheck Save Media, depending on what appears in their account.
Google also says users can turn the setting on or off at any time.
What happens to media that was already saved?
Turning off Save Media does not automatically erase media Google already saved, according to the documentation reported in coverage.
Google also says media that has already been selected to train AI models is no longer connected to the account and can be kept for up to four years, according to the documentation cited in the reports.
That means there are two separate questions for users: whether Google can keep collecting new activity, and whether older saved items are still on the account.
Why are people concerned?
The concern is simple: many people expect a search setting to affect typed queries, but not necessarily voice clips, image uploads or other files. Google’s documentation says the new setting can cover those forms of input.
For users who want a tighter privacy setup, the key step is to review the Search Services History controls in My Activity rather than relying only on older Web & App Activity settings.
Google has not said, in the materials cited here, that the feature is limited to a specific country or user group. The rollout appears to be broader and gradual.
