Correction (Nov. 11, 2026) An earlier version made unsupported claims about Google tracking conversations and identifying who you spend time with. The article now describes Google’s documented activity controls, Maps Timeline storage, and when Assistant can send audio.
What Google saves depends on the services you use and the settings you choose. Google’s privacy policy describes data such as searches, interactions with content and ads, device information, and location information. Use your account settings to see which controls apply to you.
Search, browsing and app activity
When the relevant history setting is on, your Google Account can save activity from services such as Search and Maps. Depending on your settings, Google may use some activity to personalize results or ads. Open Google’s activity controls to see which settings are on and how to change or delete saved activity.
Location and Google Maps Timeline
If you turn on Timeline, Google Maps can save visits and routes on your device. Google offers an optional encrypted backup for transferring Timeline data between devices. Manage Timeline data in the Maps app. Other account activity settings may still save location information separately.
Voice and audio
Google Assistant devices listen for an activation such as “Hey Google.” An unintended activation can send audio to Google. Whether eligible voice recordings are saved to your account depends on your settings. See Google’s explanation of Assistant audio activity.
Thank you for explaining this in a way that hopefully, and I believe is, clear to the people who are unable to comprehend this and would assume to simply accuse “those scary tech giants of spying on us/ manipulating and controlling us!” rather than take the time to at least *try* to grasp this concept. One could even read what they are agreeing to the terms of. Don’t like the negative results of your searches? Search for the positive. Blame your own history or wrap your head around the fact that the popular results that pop up are from the popular searches.
Or, just waste the money of the people on comically ignorant court proceedings I suppose.
Oh hey, my 7 year old granddaughter was playing a game on her iPhone when the phone showed an image that I don’t like. Meh!