Google Assistant can add a lot of convenience to your life, but that comes with some privacy sacrifices. Everything you say to Google is being recorded, but there are several ways to delete these recordings.
Having recordings made by the Google Assistant sounds scarier than it really is. For starters, it’s important to understand that Google only records you when the process is initiated with the “Hey/OK Google” command (or manually). The recordings are then used to improve voice-matching.
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Google offers several different methods for dealing with these recordings, and there’s something for every type of privacy-conscious person out there.
Manually Delete Google Assistant Recordings
First, let’s go the manual route and delete recordings after they’ve already been stored. Open your web browser and navigate to myaccount.google.com. Make sure you’re signed in to the same Google account as your Assistant-powered smart speakers or displays.
Next, go to the “Data & Personalization” tab.
Look for the “Activity Controls” section and click “Web & App Activity.”
Now, select “Manage Activity.”
Click “Filter by Date & Product” and select “Assistant” from the menu.
The list will now only show Google Assistant queries. The queries are organized by date, and you can delete all entries from a day by clicking the “X” icon.
Entries that have a recording attached are indicated by a microphone icon. Click “Details” if you would like to delete a specific entry.
Then select the three-dot menu icon and click “Delete.”
That’s it. You can access this page and delete entries at any time.
Auto-Delete Google Assistant Recordings
If you don’t want to deal with manually deleting your data all the time, Google makes it possible to auto-delete things after a certain length of time. This allows you to get the best of both worlds. Assistant will get better at recognizing your voice, but recording won’t be stored forever.
We have a full guide on setting up the auto-delete feature. You’ll be able to choose between having things deleted after three months, 18 months, or 36 months. We highly recommend doing this if you use Google Assistant.
RELATED: How to Make Google Auto-Delete Your Web and Location History
Opt-out of Recordings Completely
Google allows you to completely opt-out of recordings altogether. It’s very easy to turn it off.
Open your web browser and navigate to myaccount.google.com. Make sure you’re signed in.
Next, go to the “Data & Personalization” tab.
Look for the “Activity Controls” section and click “Web & App Activity.”
Navigate to “Include Audio Recordings” and uncheck the box.
A message will open and explain what happens if you stop saving audio recordings. Click “Stop Saving” if you’re sure.
From now on, recordings will not be saved on your Google account. Simple as that.
This post was written by Joe Fedewa and was first posted to www.howtogeek.com
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