Google adds feature to zap recent search history in privacy push

The new ways to give people more privacy controls come after years of scrutiny on the search giant’s behaviour.

Google's Global Product Partnerships Barb Smith speaks during Google I/O, the company's annual three-day developer conference, in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 18, 2021. Google/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES (via REUTERS)

Ever wish you could delete the last thing you searched for on Google? Now Google will let you.

Google announced the new feature Tuesday during its I/O software conference, part of a package of privacy controls the Alphabet Inc. company is pushing out to appease consumers and regulators. 

Users now can tap on a tab inside their Google accounts to remove the last fifteen minutes of search history. The company has offered a feature to clear search histories, but people have found that data useful for tools like Maps or been unaware of the ability to delete it.

“We never sell your personal information to anyone,” Jen Fitzpatrick, a Google senior vice president, said at the virtual event. “It's simply off limits.”

During the event, Google also introduced new tools for password protections and data permission for its Android software.

“No one else offers this kind of technically enforced, verifiable privacy,” Fitzpatrick added. Apple Inc. has spent years positioning its iPhones as far more secure than devices using Google's Android operating system.