The Google Is Probably Tracking You But You Can Stop It

September 4, 2022

It’s unsettling when someone finds out your location without you informing them, and it’s unsettling even more when a business does. There’s a chance Google knows where you are if you use one of its apps on an iPhone or Android device. Although the location history for your Google account is blocked by default, there might be additional offenders. Your location and a timestamp might be stored by some Google applications.

With tools like Your Data in Maps and Search, which provide easy access to your location controls, Google made it simpler to choose what location and other data is retained and what is removed following an investigation by the Associated Press in 2021.

However, due to its usage of location data, Google was sued in January by a number of states. According to the claims, Google makes it “virtually impossible” for users to stop location tracking. Google responded to the accusations by claiming that they were untrue and based on out-of-date claims about its settings.

The good news is that you can make sure Google isn’t tracking you by checking certain settings. We’ll explain how to disable Google tracking and what the results might be.

Turn off Google’s location tracking

Here’s how to stop Google’s ability to log your location.

Using the button in the top right corner, access Google.com on your desktop or mobile device and sign in to your Google account.
Manage your Google account by selecting the user symbol in the top right corner.
Choose Personalization & Privacy.
Location history can be found under Things you’ve done and locations you’ve been in the History settings box. Activity Controls is then displayed.
Select the Turn off button on the right-hand side of the button that says Location History. A pop-up window appears as a result.
Choose Pause at the bottom of this window as you scroll down.

The Google Maps Timeline feature, which records your location together with specific information at a certain time, is the only part of location history that is removed when you turn it off. Even when turned off, “some location data may continue to be kept in other settings,” such as your site and app activity, according to Google’s support page on the subject. Google assured us that this data is never shared with outside parties or marketers and is only used to improve the personalization and use of its products. But if you’re still not comfortable with that, there are a few more steps you can take to prevent Google from constantly tracking your location.

What does this stop the Google from storing?

By pausing this setting, Google stops keeping information gleaned from searches or other activity as well as location markers connected to particular acts. By turning it off, you may keep your general location and other information, such as your home address, secret.

Keep in mind that Google will still require access to your location in order for you to use some functions, such as the Maps app, properly. However, finishing the aforementioned steps stops it from remembering any upcoming activity. To preserve your privacy, Google timestamps your activity within a geographical area that is more than 1 square mile in size and often has more than 1,000 users. According to Google’s help page on the subject, this enables them to monitor odd activity while protecting user privacy, such as a sign-in from a different city.

To get the best search results for where you are, you can give Google permission to utilise your precise location — your exact position, such a particular address.

Pros and cons of turning off the Google tracking

There are some disadvantages to disabling this default setting. While some people may find Google’s settings intrusive, they also contribute to an incredibly individualised online experience, such as making it easier for users to find nearby businesses rather than ones in another city or viewing personalised adverts. According to Google, they assist in providing users with more pertinent information as opposed to random information.

You’ll experience the search engine and its apps and services less personally if you turn off tracking because you’ll see less relevant adverts, fewer useful search recommendations, and fewer tailored search results. If you like targeted adverts, disabling tracking will stop Google from figuring out what you might be interested in. However, disabling this setting can be worth the loss of specificity for people who value privacy above everything else.

The simple line is that you can either continue to receive relevant adverts and search suggestions in place of more random, unfiltered information, or you may protect your privacy and forfeit the personalised internet experience.

Delete the old location history

Disabling tracking will stop Google from saving new location data, but it won’t remove any already collected information. Here’s a guide on how to remove that data.

Using the button in the top right corner, access Google.com on your desktop or mobile device and sign in to your Google account.
Select Manage your Google account from the user icon in the top right corner after logging in.
Choose Personalization & Privacy.
Location history can be found under Things you’ve done and locations you’ve been in the History settings box. Activity Controls is then displayed.
Near the bottom of the page, click Manage history. With a timeline in the upper left-hand corner, a map will open. The timeline and map both display your location and where you were at different points in time.
Select the date in the timeline to remove your location for that day. Following that, the timeline will show that date. To the right of the date, click the trash symbol. Choose Delete day from the pop-up menu.
Select the trash symbol in the bottom right corner of the map, close to the Map and Satellite display options, to remove all of your location history at once.
Select the I understand and want to remove all Location History checkbox in the pop-up window. Choose to delete your location history.

Stop the Google from collecting your web and app activity

Google limits the amount of data it collects when you create a new account by preserving only the last 18 months’ worth of online and app activity by default; anything older than that is erased immediately. Here’s how to prevent Google from tracking your future app and web usage.

Using the button in the top right corner, access Google.com on your desktop or mobile device and sign in to your Google account.
Select Manage your Google account from the user icon in the top right corner after logging in.
Choose Personalization & Privacy.
In the History settings box, choose Web & App Activity under Things you’ve done and locations you’ve been. Activity Controls is then displayed.
Choose Turn off from the list of Web & App Activity.
Choose Pause by scrolling to the pop-up window’s bottom.
Choose Got it.

Automatically delete your location and activity history

If you’d prefer to have your data automatically destroyed at predetermined times, you may also choose to delete your Google location and activity history whenever you choose. How? Read on.

Using the button in the top right corner, access Google.com on your desktop or mobile device and sign in to your Google account.
Select Manage your Google account from the user icon in the top right corner after logging in.
Choose Personalization & Privacy.
In the History settings box, choose Web & App Activity or Location History under Things you’ve done and locations you’ve been. The desired setting’s Activity Controls are then opened.
Under Auto-delete, click Choose an auto-delete option.
Choose the term you want to keep track of (3 months, 18 months, or 36 months) from the drop-down menu next to Auto-delete activity older than.
Choose Next.
Choose Got it.

Delete all of your bad Google web and app activity

Google still has your old data even if you’ve told it not to gather your online and app activities. Here’s how to erase your prior online browsing history and app usage.

Using the button in the top right corner, access Google.com on your desktop or mobile device and sign in to your Google account.
After logging in, select Manage your Google account by clicking your user symbol in the top right corner.
Click Personalization & Privacy.
In the History settings box, choose Web & App Activity under Things you’ve done and locations you’ve been. The Activity Controls are now visible.
Near the bottom of the screen, click Manage all Web & App Activity.
On the right, click Delete next to Search your activity.
The options to erase your Web & App Activity from the Most recent hour, Most recent day, All time, or a Custom period will be presented in the new window. Choose All time.
Your activity will be displayed in a new window that asks you to confirm that you want to remove it. Choose Delete.
Select Got it.