Google Adds Privacy Feature To Instantly Delete 15-Minute Browsing History

You can now instantly delete your recent browsing history of up to 15 minutes on Google, with a newly released privacy feature released by the tech giant this week.

Google is launching a new privacy feature for search that lets you instantly delete your last 15 minutes of search history on mobile. Initially revealed alongside several other search and Chrome improvements at I/O 2021, the feature is now rolling out to everyone. The option to delete your last 15 minutes of search history is currently only available in Google’s iOS app and is headed to Android later this year.

Source: The Verge

In Google’s blog post announcing the new feature, the company states they’re keeping privacy above all. “With auto-delete controls, you can choose to have Google automatically and continuously delete your Search history, along with other Web & App Activity, from your account after three, 18 or 36 months. For new accounts, the default auto-delete option for Web & App Activity is 18 months, but you can always choose to update your settings if you’d like. You can also try out a new way to quickly delete your last 15 minutes of saved Search history with the single tap of a button, “ reads the post.

The blog also adds intel about a new privacy protection for your search history, saying, “If your Web & App Activity setting is on, your search history is saved to your account to enable more personalized experiences across Google services. You can view and delete that Search history any time at My Activity. But maybe you share a device and want to make sure others who use it can’t go into My Activity and look at your Search history. Now, we’ve given you a way to put extra protection around the searches saved in your account.”