Google’s account page is the control room behind Gmail, Maps, Calendar, YouTube and the rest of the company’s services. WIRED contributor David Nield has flagged seven settings there that are easy to miss and can change what Google stores, what other people can see, and which devices still have account access.
The place to start is myaccount.google.com. The labels are not glamorous, because account settings rarely are. They do, however, decide a fair amount of the daily Google experience.
Trim the data trail
One of the more useful privacy controls sits under Data & privacy, then Web & App Activity. Google offers an Auto-delete option that can remove saved activity after three months, 18 months or 36 months, according to Nield.
That activity can include searches, installed apps, Google Maps places and Google News reading. Google uses that material to personalize its services and advertising, so deleting it can make Google’s products feel less tailored. The trade-off is obvious enough: less memory for Google, less precision from Google.
Nield also points users to People & sharing, then Contact info saved from interactions. That switch controls whether Google automatically adds people you interact with across its services to your contacts. It can help surface someone you forgot to save. It can also turn your address book into a landfill with autocomplete.
Check what strangers and acquaintances can see
Google accounts have public-facing profile fields, even if most people do not think of them like social media profiles. Nield notes that a Gmail recipient can click a profile photo, and people reading a Google Maps review can tap the reviewer’s name or picture. Depending on the account settings, those actions can expose public profile information.
To inspect that, go to Data & privacy, then Profile. Google marks profile entries with icons showing whether they are public or private. Users can edit individual fields, including a profile picture and web links, and adjust who can see them.
Reduce stale access and improve recovery
Old phones, tablets and computers can remain signed in to a Google account. Nield recommends going to Security & sign-in, reviewing the connected-device list and selecting Manage all devices. If an old device appears, users can choose it and hit Sign out. A mistaken sign-out is not fatal; the device just needs a fresh login.
Account recovery has a separate human layer. Under Security & sign-in, then Recovery contacts, users can name people who may help verify their identity if they are locked out. Google sends those contacts an email notification and asks them to accept the role, according to Nield. Giving them a heads-up first is the non-chaotic option.
Tell Google less, or at least steer the ads
The My Ad Center page, found under Data & privacy, lets users adjust the categories Google and its partners use for ad targeting. Nield says the controls cover areas such as professional industry, relationships and home ownership, along with tabs for Topics, Brands and Sensitive subjects including alcohol and gambling.
These controls do not remove ads from Google products. They change the kinds of ads Google tries to show.
Finally, Nield notes that home and work addresses live under Personal info. Google uses those addresses for Maps shortcuts, weather and search personalization. Google says the saved addresses are not visible to other people, though they can feed the broader personalization machine, including local ads.
This story draws on original reporting from WIRED.
