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Google 101: The Easiest Way to Delete Your Voice History
New flash, Google has been recording you. But at this point, are we still surprised to hear that? If you want to eradicate the awkward evidence of your Google voice history, head over to the “My Activity” page.
Recorded Voice Searches
Last 2019, people freaked out when reports about Google and Amazon giving human contractors access to voice history records. Specifically, Google Home or Google Nest and Echo devices.
After this news broke out, Google adjusted, requiring users to opt-in and have searches recorded. This opt-in method also allows human review, although the audio itself is anonymized. According to Google, this approach improves personalization across the platform.
However, the public doesn’t welcome the idea of strangers listening to their voices. Yes, even if it’s anonymous. Besides, it’s uncomfortable knowing that your voice history is being reviewed by an unknown human somewhere around the world.
But what if you can’t remember if you opted in or not? Or worse, if you opted in and now regret it. Either way, you need to know what Google recorded about you. Even if Google changed its system about recording voice history, there’s a high chance that your other activities are still getting saved.
Where to locate my voice history?
You can find out your Google activity, from search engine queries to Google Maps navigation, on the “My Activity” page. Users can read a list in the Google Home app. You can even listen to your voice history and find out what has been recorded.
How To Delete Google Assistant Voice History
If you managed to find a lot of data on your voice history, don’t fret. You can purge all of that.
PC
- Head over to https://myactivity.google.com/. If you own multiple Gmail accounts, make sure you’re signed in to the one you use the most. Or choose the one that’s associated with your Google Home.
- Click on “Web & App Activity”
- After that, choose “Manage Activity.”
- Click “Filter by Date & Product”
- Check “Voice and Audio” on Google Products’ list, then click Apply.
After clicking apply, you can view your voice history in chronological order. You can manually tap the “X” icon to delete your history one by one. If you want to delete everything, then just set a date range that you want to clear.
Mobile
The downside of using your mobile, Google Home can’t filter the product and date on the app. At the moment, you can filter by date. On your mobile app you can:
- Delete the history one by one.
- Purge everything
- Head over to https://myactivity.google.com/. If you own multiple Gmail accounts, make sure you’re signed in to the one you use the most. Or choose the one that’s associated with your Google Home.
- Tap “Filter by Date & Product”
- Scroll down and tap “Voice & Audio.”
After tapping voice and audio, you can proceed with the same process to delete voice history on your desktop.
How to Turn Off Audio and Voice Activity
After deleting your voice history, you can prevent Google from saving your voice history and audio activity. Take note that turning off your voice and audio activity will disable your Google Assistant.
PC
- Head over to https://myactivity.google.com/.
- Tap on your “Profile Icon” (top right portion).
- After that, select “Activity controls” on the menu.
- Toggle your “Audio recording” setting on or off.
- Google will confirm if you’re sure. It will explain what pausing voice or audio means. After reading, if you still want to proceed, click “I Agree.” However, if you don’t want to, click “No Thanks.”
Mobile
- First, open your Google Home application.
- Tap on your “Profile Icon” (top right portion).
- After that, select “My Activity.”
- Tap “Saving Activity”
Toggle your “Audio recording” setting on or off.
Final Thoughts
It’s essential to be aware of what information your preferred application is getting from you. As personal data is becoming more valuable to businesses, we’ll encounter more breaches in our privacy. As much as possible, it’s best to double-check a prompt before agreeing to it.