Google will save your Lens photos, Search Live recordings, and Translate audio for AI training

Overview

Google is rolling out a new privacy setting called Search Services History that saves the images, files, audio, and video you submit when you use Search. The setting includes a Save Media option, on by default for many users, that lets Google use those Lens photos, Search Live recordings, voice searches, and Translate audio to develop and improve its AI models. You stay in control: you can turn Save Media off, switch off Search Services History entirely, or delete individual items from your history.

Key Takeaways

Google is introducing a dedicated Search Services History setting that records your past searches and the media you submit across Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News.
A new Save Media subsetting saves images, files, and audio or video from Google Lens, Search Live, Translate speaking practice, voice searches, and uploaded content.
Saved media is used to develop and improve Google services and AI models, and the change is opt-out by default rather than opt-in for users who already had Web and App Activity turned on.
Users can turn off Save Media at any time, switch off Search Services History completely, or delete individual pieces of media from their history.
Google says saved media is disconnected from your Google Account before it trains AI models or is reviewed by service providers, and turning the settings off stops future media from training its generative AI.
The new controls are being split out from Google's long-standing Web and App Activity control into their own framework, alongside a separate Personalized Recommendations setting.

Stats & Key Facts

#6 core Google services are covered by the new history setting: Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News.
#1 new default-on subsetting, Save Media, governs whether your images, audio, and video are stored for AI use.
#5 media types are captured: images, files, audio, video, and voice search recordings.
#4 main feature sources feed the saved media: Google Lens, Search Live, Translate speaking practice, and voice search.
#2 immediate opt-out paths existed during the early rollout before the new section reached every account: disabling Web and App Activity, or unchecking the voice and visual search options.

Google will save your Lens photos, Search Live recordings, and Translate audio for AI training

What the Search Services History Setting Saves

The new control tracks both your search activity and the media you feed into Google's tools.

›Past searches and other activity across Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News.
›Generative AI responses you receive and information from sites you visit during a search.
›Images you scan with Google Lens and files you upload.
›Audio and video recordings from the real-time Search Live tool and Translate speaking practice.
›Voice searches spoken into Google.

How the Save Media Subsetting Powers AI Training

Save Media is the piece that turns your photos and recordings into training material.

When Save Media is enabled, Google stores the images, files, audio, and video from your Lens scans, Search Live sessions, Translate practice, and voice searches. Google says this saved media is used to develop and improve its services and technologies, including its AI models and safety measures.

The company states that saved media is disconnected from your Google Account before it is used to train AI models or reviewed by trained service providers. Google also says it applies privacy and security protections and filters to remove identifying information from the data.

Opt-Out by Default: Why Existing Users Are Already Enrolled

For many people the setting is already on without any action on their part.

The new approach is opt-out rather than opt-in. If your Web and App Activity setting was already turned on, the new Save Media subsetting and Search Services History are switched on for you when the change reaches your account, and your existing auto-delete preferences carry over.

That default matters for business readers who handle sensitive material. Scanning a contract, a whiteboard, or a financial document with Lens, or speaking a confidential phrase into Translate, could be stored and used for model improvement unless you change the setting.

How to Turn It Off and Stay in Control

Google offers several ways to limit or stop the saving.

›Turn off the Save Media subsetting at any time to stop storing images, audio, and video while keeping your search history.
›Switch off Search Services History entirely to stop saving searches and media together.
›Delete individual pieces of media from your history one at a time.
›Before the new section reached every account, users could disable Web and App Activity outright, or uncheck the voice and audio and visual search options to block media use while keeping search history.

A New Framework Split From Web and App Activity

The change reorganizes a long-standing Google privacy control.

Search Services History is being separated out from Web and App Activity, the general-purpose control Google has used for years to track activity across its products. The goal is a dedicated framework focused on Search and the media you submit to it.

Alongside it sits a separate Personalized Recommendations setting, which governs whether your results and experience are tailored to you. Splitting the controls lets you decide separately whether Google saves your media and whether it personalizes what you see.

What Turning the Settings Off Actually Stops

Disabling the controls limits future use, not necessarily everything.

Google says that when Search Services History or the Save Media subsetting are off, media from your future interactions will not be used to train its generative AI models, unless you choose to provide feedback. Submitting feedback on a result is treated as a separate signal you opt into.

The rollout is reaching accounts over a period of weeks through email and in-app notifications, so the timing of when you see the new controls depends on your account. Until then, the older Activity Controls page remains the place to adjust voice and visual search saving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Google's new Search Services History setting?

It is a dedicated privacy control that records your past searches and other activity across Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News. It is being split out from Google's older Web and App Activity setting into its own framework.

Will Google use my Lens photos and voice recordings to train its AI?

Yes, if the Save Media subsetting is on. Google saves images, files, audio, and video from Lens, Search Live, Translate practice, and voice searches and uses them to develop and improve its services and AI models. Google says the data is disconnected from your account before training.

Is this opt-in or opt-out?

It is opt-out. If your Web and App Activity setting was already turned on, Save Media and Search Services History are enabled for you when the change reaches your account, so you must take action to turn them off.

How do I stop Google from saving my media?

You can turn off the Save Media subsetting at any time, switch off Search Services History entirely, or delete individual pieces of media from your history. You can also adjust the voice and visual search options in your Activity Controls.

Does turning the settings off delete data Google already has?

Turning the settings off stops media from your future interactions from training Google's generative AI models, unless you provide feedback. To remove past items, you delete them individually or through your auto-delete settings.

Google's Search Services History and its default-on Save Media option give the company a fresh stream of photos, audio, and video for AI training, so reviewing the setting matters most for anyone who scans or speaks sensitive information into Search.

Why It Matters for Business

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