Google Assistant can add a lot of convenience to your life, but it comes with some privacy sacrifices. Everything you say to Google will be recorded, but there are several ways to delete these recordings.
Having the Google Assistant make recordings sounds scarier than it actually is. For starters, it’s important to understand that Google will only include you when the process is started with the “Hey / OK Google”
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Google offers several methods of dealing with these recordings, and there is something for every type of privacy-conscious person out there.
Manually delete Google Assistant Recordings
Let’s go the manual route first and delete recordings after they have already been saved. Open your web browser and go to myaccount.google.com. Make sure you’re signed in to the same Google account as your Assistant powered smart speakers or displays.
Then go to the “Data and Personalization” tab.
Find the ‘Activity Options’ section and click on ‘Web & App Activity’.
Now select ‘Manage activity’.
Click on “Filter by date and product” and select “Assistant” from the menu.
The list now only shows Google Assistant searches. The searches are organized by date and you can delete all entries for a day by clicking the “X” icon.
Entries to which a recording has been added are indicated with a microphone icon. Click on “Details” if you want to delete a specific item.
Then select the three-dot menu icon and click ‘Delete’.
That is it. You can access this page at any time and delete items.
Auto-Delete Google Assistant Recordings
If you don’t want to keep deleting your data manually, Google makes it possible to automatically delete things after a specified amount of time. This allows you to get the best of both worlds. Assistant gets better at recognizing your voice, but the recording isn’t saved forever.
We have a full guide on how to set up the auto-delete feature. You can choose to delete things after three months, 18 months, or 36 months. We strongly recommend that you do this if you are using Google Assistant.
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Opt out of withdrawals completely
Google allows you to opt out of withdrawals altogether. It is very easy to disable it.
Open your web browser and go to myaccount.google.com. Make sure you are signed in.
Then go to the “Data and Personalization” tab.
Find the ‘Activity Options’ section and click on ‘Web & App Activity’.
Navigate to “Include Audio Recordings” and uncheck the box.
A message will open explaining what will happen if you stop saving audio recordings. Click “Stop Saving” if you are sure.
From now on, recordings will not be saved to your Google account. Simple as that.
