Google Now Uses Your Search Uploads to Train AI — Here's What Changed and How to Opt Out
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training. Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
Published byEdited with DeepSeek-V4-FlashImages generated with GPT Image 1.5
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training.
Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
To opt out, toggle off Search Services History in your Google Account settings under "Data & Privacy" or navigate directly to the Search Services History settings page [1][2][3].
Search & fact-check with cited sources for What changes did Google make in June 2025 to its data collection and AI training policies regardiAn editorial illustration depicting Google's new Search Services History setting, which saves images, audio, and video uploads for AI model training by default.
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Create a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: Search & fact-check with cited sources for What changes did Google make in June 2025 to its data collection and AI training policies regardi. Article summary: In June 2025, Google began rolling out a major change to how it handles user-uploaded media from Search-related services, introducing a new default-on setting called **Search Services History** that stores images, audio,. Topic tags: general, general web, user generated, documentation. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks,
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In June 2025, Google began rolling out a major change to how it handles user-uploaded media from Search-related services. The company introduced a new default-on setting called Search Services History that stores images, audio, and video uploads for AI model training . This article explains exactly what changed, what data is collected, which services are affected, how long it's retained, and — most importantly — how to opt out.
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What is the short answer to "Google Now Uses Your Search Uploads to Train AI — Here's What Changed and How to Opt Out"?
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training.
What are the key points to validate first?
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training. Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
What should I do next in practice?
To opt out, toggle off Search Services History in your Google Account settings under "Data & Privacy" or navigate directly to the Search Services History settings page [1][2][3].
Google Now Uses Your Search Uploads to Train AI — Here's What Changed and How to Opt Out
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training. Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
Published byEdited with DeepSeek-V4-FlashImages generated with GPT Image 1.5
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training.
Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
To opt out, toggle off Search Services History in your Google Account settings under "Data & Privacy" or navigate directly to the Search Services History settings page [1][2][3].
Search & fact-check with cited sources for What changes did Google make in June 2025 to its data collection and AI training policies regardiAn editorial illustration depicting Google's new Search Services History setting, which saves images, audio, and video uploads for AI model training by default.
AI Prompt
Create a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: Search & fact-check with cited sources for What changes did Google make in June 2025 to its data collection and AI training policies regardi. Article summary: In June 2025, Google began rolling out a major change to how it handles user-uploaded media from Search-related services, introducing a new default-on setting called **Search Services History** that stores images, audio,. Topic tags: general, general web, user generated, documentation. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks,
openai.com
In June 2025, Google began rolling out a major change to how it handles user-uploaded media from Search-related services. The company introduced a new default-on setting called Search Services History that stores images, audio, and video uploads for AI model training . This article explains exactly what changed, what data is collected, which services are affected, how long it's retained, and — most importantly — how to opt out.
Studio Global AI
Continue your research
This page includes a source-backed answer you can continue inside Studio Global.
What is the short answer to "Google Now Uses Your Search Uploads to Train AI — Here's What Changed and How to Opt Out"?
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training.
What are the key points to validate first?
In June 2025, Google began rolling out Search Services History, a new default on setting that stores images, audio, and video uploads from Search, Lens, Translate, and other services for AI model training. Google Photos is explicitly excluded — personal photo libraries are not used to train generative AI models.
What should I do next in practice?
To opt out, toggle off Search Services History in your Google Account settings under "Data & Privacy" or navigate directly to the Search Services History settings page [1][2][3].
Search Services History is a new privacy toggle that saves media users upload during interactions with Search, Lens, Translate, and other Google services . It operates separately from Google's existing Web & App Activity setting, meaning users who had previously opted out of data collection for AI training may still be automatically enrolled in this new one .
The setting is active by default for signed-in users — an opt-out, not opt-in approach . When Wired's reporter first visited the relevant settings page, the feature was already activated .
Types of Media Collected
Google's updated terms allow the company to use "images, files, video, and audio" from Search-related interactions . Specifically, these include:
Images uploaded for reverse image searches (Google Lens, Search by Image)
Audio recordings, such as voice inputs for Google Translate or voice searches
Video and files uploaded during interactions with Search and Gemini Live
Google's own support page states: "Your saved media includes your images, files, and audio and video recordings from your interactions with Search services. This includes things like Google Lens images, recordings from Search Live or Translate" .
Affected Services
The new policy covers a broad range of Google services:
Google Search
Google Lens
Google Translate (voice recordings)
Google Maps, Shopping, Hotels, Flights (search activity broadly)
Gemini Live
Data Retention: The Four-Year Catch
Users can choose auto-delete periods of 3, 18, or 36 months, or keep data indefinitely . However, there is a critical caveat: once media has been used for AI training, it is disconnected from the user's account and retained for up to four years even if the original activity record is deleted . This means that deleting your search history does not retroactively remove data already fed into Google's AI models.
Google Photos: Explicitly Excluded (With One Catch)
Google Photos is explicitly excluded from this policy. Google states it does not train generative AI models on users' personal Google Photos library data . The company's official Gemini features in Photos privacy hub states: "We don't train any generative AI models outside of Google Photos with your personal data in Google Photos" .
However, the exclusion applies to the core Photos service only. If a user actively shares a photo from Google Photos into Gemini or another covered service, that shared media may then fall under the Search Services History policy .
How to Opt Out and Delete Your Data
Turn Off Search Services History
Go to Search Services History settings (you can find this in your Google Account under "Data & Privacy") .
Toggle Search Services History to off.
When turning it off, you can choose whether to also delete your existing history .
Delete Past Activity
Visit My Activity (myactivity.google.com) to manually delete some or all of your saved media .
Use Google Takeout to export your data before deletion .
Important: Check Your Web & App Activity Too
Because Search Services History is a separate setting, ensure you have also reviewed your Web & App Activity settings if you wish to limit data collection comprehensively .
Who Is Not Affected
Workspace/enterprise accounts are not affected — Google does not use customer Workspace data for model training without explicit permission .
Privacy Concerns Raised
The rollout of Search Services History has drawn criticism from privacy advocates on several fronts:
Default-on approach: The setting is automatically enabled for most signed-in users, which critics argue reverses the burden of privacy protection onto the user .
Bypasses prior opt-outs: Because Search Services History is a new, separate toggle, users who had previously disabled Web & App Activity or other data collection settings were not automatically opted out of this new one . One report described this as Google's "new AI data grab" that "bypasses your old privacy settings" .
Four-year retention after training: Even after a user deletes their activity, training data can be retained in anonymized form for up to four years, making deletion effectively irreversible once training has occurred .
Broad media scope: The policy covers everything from casual reverse-image searches to voice translations, which privacy advocates say is overly broad and not clearly communicated to users at the point of upload .
Global rollout with minimal notice: Google notified users via email and in-product notices, but the change was described as a worldwide initiative rolling out over months, leaving many users unaware that their uploads were now being saved for AI training .
Bottom Line
Google's June 2025 policy change marks a significant shift in how the company treats media uploaded to its search-related services. The new Search Services History setting turns data collection for AI training on by default, and its separation from existing privacy controls means a simple check of your old settings is no longer enough. To protect your data, navigate to the new setting and turn it off — preferably before your next image search or voice translation.
Search Services History is a new privacy toggle that saves media users upload during interactions with Search, Lens, Translate, and other Google services . It operates separately from Google's existing Web & App Activity setting, meaning users who had previously opted out of data collection for AI training may still be automatically enrolled in this new one .
The setting is active by default for signed-in users — an opt-out, not opt-in approach . When Wired's reporter first visited the relevant settings page, the feature was already activated .
Types of Media Collected
Google's updated terms allow the company to use "images, files, video, and audio" from Search-related interactions . Specifically, these include:
Images uploaded for reverse image searches (Google Lens, Search by Image)
Audio recordings, such as voice inputs for Google Translate or voice searches
Video and files uploaded during interactions with Search and Gemini Live
Google's own support page states: "Your saved media includes your images, files, and audio and video recordings from your interactions with Search services. This includes things like Google Lens images, recordings from Search Live or Translate" .
Affected Services
The new policy covers a broad range of Google services:
Google Search
Google Lens
Google Translate (voice recordings)
Google Maps, Shopping, Hotels, Flights (search activity broadly)
Gemini Live
Data Retention: The Four-Year Catch
Users can choose auto-delete periods of 3, 18, or 36 months, or keep data indefinitely . However, there is a critical caveat: once media has been used for AI training, it is disconnected from the user's account and retained for up to four years even if the original activity record is deleted . This means that deleting your search history does not retroactively remove data already fed into Google's AI models.
Google Photos: Explicitly Excluded (With One Catch)
Google Photos is explicitly excluded from this policy. Google states it does not train generative AI models on users' personal Google Photos library data . The company's official Gemini features in Photos privacy hub states: "We don't train any generative AI models outside of Google Photos with your personal data in Google Photos" .
However, the exclusion applies to the core Photos service only. If a user actively shares a photo from Google Photos into Gemini or another covered service, that shared media may then fall under the Search Services History policy .
How to Opt Out and Delete Your Data
Turn Off Search Services History
Go to Search Services History settings (you can find this in your Google Account under "Data & Privacy") .
Toggle Search Services History to off.
When turning it off, you can choose whether to also delete your existing history .
Delete Past Activity
Visit My Activity (myactivity.google.com) to manually delete some or all of your saved media .
Use Google Takeout to export your data before deletion .
Important: Check Your Web & App Activity Too
Because Search Services History is a separate setting, ensure you have also reviewed your Web & App Activity settings if you wish to limit data collection comprehensively .
Who Is Not Affected
Workspace/enterprise accounts are not affected — Google does not use customer Workspace data for model training without explicit permission .
Privacy Concerns Raised
The rollout of Search Services History has drawn criticism from privacy advocates on several fronts:
Default-on approach: The setting is automatically enabled for most signed-in users, which critics argue reverses the burden of privacy protection onto the user .
Bypasses prior opt-outs: Because Search Services History is a new, separate toggle, users who had previously disabled Web & App Activity or other data collection settings were not automatically opted out of this new one . One report described this as Google's "new AI data grab" that "bypasses your old privacy settings" .
Four-year retention after training: Even after a user deletes their activity, training data can be retained in anonymized form for up to four years, making deletion effectively irreversible once training has occurred .
Broad media scope: The policy covers everything from casual reverse-image searches to voice translations, which privacy advocates say is overly broad and not clearly communicated to users at the point of upload .
Global rollout with minimal notice: Google notified users via email and in-product notices, but the change was described as a worldwide initiative rolling out over months, leaving many users unaware that their uploads were now being saved for AI training .
Bottom Line
Google's June 2025 policy change marks a significant shift in how the company treats media uploaded to its search-related services. The new Search Services History setting turns data collection for AI training on by default, and its separation from existing privacy controls means a simple check of your old settings is no longer enough. To protect your data, navigate to the new setting and turn it off — preferably before your next image search or voice translation.
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