I am sure you are by now that Google knows what you are thinking. Google tracks your activity on its devices, apps, and services, including where you go and what you buy.So, do you think Google is intruding into your privacy? So, here in this article, I will show you one simple setting by which you can turn off Google to listen and know whatever you think or do.
Turn off this 1 setting to stop Google Logging all your activities:
- Go to Google’s Activity Tracking page.
- Scroll down and tap the blue icon next to each category to turn off tracking. There you will see many categories like Web & App Activity, Location History, Device Information, Voice & Audio Activity, YouTube Search History, and YouTube Watch History. I will explain the other categories below.
- Click “Turn Off” in the confirmation box that pops up. The Popup gives you the information that Turning off Location History applies to all your signed-in devices. This will stop new location data from being saved to your Timeline at timeline.google.com. While new places, routes, and trips won’t be recorded, Google may still use some location data if other settings like Web & App Activity are on. This helps improve search results based on general locations.
- The blue icon will turn grey when tracking is off.
You’ve now stopped Google from tracking most of your online activity.
Once you turn off the location setting, you also have the option to select the “auto-delete option”
Once, you click the option, you get to choose to auto-matically delete the Location History older than 3, 18, or 36 months.
You can select whichever is most suitable to you.
Once you have turned off the location settings, you have done 90% of your job. Now, let’s see how to turn off the personalized advertisements also.
How to Turn off personalized advertisements
To stop Google from tracking your ads activity, follow these simple steps:
- Go to the bottom of the Activity Controls page and Click “Ads”.
- Go to “My Ad Center” and click the arrow on the right.
- You will be redirected to a new page showing your latest ads. To turn off personalized ads, find “Personalized ads” at the top right corner. Click on it, and a pop-up will appear. Simply click “Turn off” in the pop-up.
By doing this, you’ve stopped Google from tracking how you use your devices, where you’ve been, and what you’ve searched.
How to stop Google Tracking you from other devices and Google Applications:
Device Information: In this category, Google stores all the data related to your phones and tablets linked to your Google account. You can delete all history by clicking “Delete all.”
Voice & Audio Activity: Here, Google stores everything you say to Google Assistant. You can listen to recordings and delete them one by one, by day, or all at once.
YouTube Search and Watch History: In this one, Google keeps track of your YouTube searches and videos watched. You can delete records one by one, by day, or all at once.
Bonus Tip to Stop Google Listening to you:
You should stay signed out and use incognito mode, or don’t sign into Google Chrome to stop Google from tracking you.
Pros and cons of turning off Google tracking
Turning off tracking means you will see ads that are less relevant to you, get less helpful search suggestions, and have a less personalized experience using Google and its apps. If you like ads that match your interests, turning off tracking will stop Google from guessing what you might like. But if you care more about privacy, turning off tracking might be worth having less specific ads and suggestions.
Conclusion
Thus, by turning off one simple setting, you can keep your privacy from Google. If you have any doubts, you can ask in the comments section below. If you found this information helpful, please share the article with your friends and family to help them stay safe from Google tracking too.
