The Google Android app can now delete the last 15 minutes of search history

Google is finally releasing a “delete history”feature that will erase the last 15 minutes of searches for the Google Search app for Android. Delete History was announced at Google I/O 2021 in May and made it to the iOS app two months later , but for some reason it took almost a year for Android. However, according to a Google statement given to The Verge over the weekend, it is finally launching.

If you want to erase the last few minutes of your search history, open the Google Search app from the app icon (other entry points like the search bar widget won’t show the right UI), tap on your profile picture. in the top right corner and you should see a new “delete last 15 minutes”option at the top of the pop-up menu. If you don’t see this option yet, try swiping the app in recent apps and reopening it, which will download the latest configuration from the cloud.

Deleting your search history is similar to deleting your browser history, but Google stores your search history in your cloud account. As the app explains, Google Search History tracks “the things you search for, the results you click on, and the stories you read”when using the Google app or Google.com. Google also captures your location as well as audio recordings if you perform a voice search. Search terms are used, of course, to display more relevant ads, as well as future search predictions and to display content on Google Discover.

Search history management is located in the “Web & App Activity”feature. In the app, you can control this setting by clicking the Search History button just above the new Delete Last 15 Minutes option, or you can navigate to myactivity.google.com in a browser. You can disable app and web history completely, or set the system to “auto-delete”your data older than three, 18, or 36 months.