Google Knows Your Location | CNET

If you use any Google app, your location and data history might be stored.

You think that you’ve turned off your location history and tracking on your Google account, so now your. But, hold on.

While disabling that setting sounds like a one-and-done, some Google apps are still storing your location data, as explored in a 2018 investigation by the Associated Press.

Fortunately, Google has made it easier to control what location and other data is saved, and what is deleted with features like Your Data in Maps and Search, which give you quick access to your location controls, according to CNET.

How to turn off Google’s location tracking 

To completely shut down Google’s ability to log your location, here’s what to do:

  1. Open up Google.com on your desktop or mobile browser. 
  2. At the top right, log into your Google account if you aren’t already.
  3. Select Manage your Google Account.
  4. In the Privacy & Personalization box, select Manage your data & personalization.
  5. Scroll down to the Activity Controls, and select Manage your activity controls.
  6. There you’ll see a box called Web & App Activity. From there, you can slide the toggle switch to off. 
  7. There will be a disclosure to ensure you understand what disabling this setting will do before you select Pause.

References:

  1. https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/google-always-knows-where-you-are-heres-how-to-turn-that-off
  2. https://apnews.com/article/north-america-science-technology-business-ap-top-news-828aefab64d4411bac257a07c1af0ecb