How do you delete voice search history?
Voice search allows users to search the internet by speaking queries out loud instead of typing them. Smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant can understand natural language voice commands and return relevant search results. While voice search offers convenience, it also raises privacy concerns because these devices are constantly listening for voice commands and may record or store that audio data (https://searchengineland.com/how-much-should-we-care-about-voice-search-it-depends-on-our-target-audience-318752). This article will explain how to delete your voice search history across popular platforms and take steps to use voice search more anonymously.
Check Your Voice Search Settings
The first step to deleting your voice search history is to check your settings in the various voice assistants to see what recordings they have saved.
Google saves voice search recordings and other audio activity in your Google Account. To view this:
- Go to myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols
- Under “Web & App Activity,” click on “Manage Activity”
- Click on “Manage Activity” again in the popup
- Select “Voice & Audio Activity” to see your recordings
You can listen to any of the recordings here before deciding to delete them. Google states they use voice recordings to improve speech recognition across their products.
Amazon Alexa
To view your Alexa voice history:
- Open the Alexa app and go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History
- This will show all voice requests made to Alexa, which you can listen to or delete
Alexa saves voice recordings to “improve the Alexa experience” according to Amazon.
Delete Recordings in Google
You can delete your voice search recordings in Google through the My Activity page. Here are the steps:
- Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in to your Google account.
- Under “Filter by date & product”, select “Voice & Audio”.
- You will see a list of all your voice searches and recordings.
- To delete an individual recording, click the three dots next to it and select “Delete”.
- To delete multiple recordings, check the boxes next to them and click “Delete” at the top.
- To delete all recordings, click “Delete activity by” at the top and select “All time”.
- Confirm that you want to delete the recordings.
The recordings will be permanently deleted from Google’s servers. However, keep in mind that deleting them from My Activity does not delete them from Google Assistant memory on your phone or device. You’ll need to clear that separately.
Delete Recordings in Alexa
You can delete your Alexa voice recordings directly through the Alexa app. Follow these steps to permanently delete your Alexa recordings:
Open the Alexa app and tap on ‘More’ in the bottom right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ from the menu.
Tap on ‘Alexa Privacy’.
Choose ‘Manage Your Alexa Data’.
Select the recordings you want to delete or tap ‘Select All’ to delete everything.
Tap the trash icon in the top right to delete the recordings.
Confirm deletion by tapping ‘Delete Selected Recordings’.
This will permanently erase the selected recordings from Amazon’s servers so they can no longer be accessed. You can also enable auto-deletion in the Alexa Privacy settings to automatically delete recordings after a set number of days. For more detailed step-by-step instructions and FAQs, see Amazon’s guide on how to delete Alexa voice recordings[1].
Disable Siri History
If you want to prevent Siri from storing any voice recordings or transcripts, you can turn off Siri history on your iPhone or iPad. Here are the steps:
- Open the Settings app and tap on “Siri & Search”.
- Tap on “Siri & Dictation History”.
- Toggle the switch for “Siri & Dictation History” to the off position.
This will prevent Siri from saving any recordings of your voice requests or transcripts. Siri may still function and respond to requests in real-time, but will not store any history of interactions. According to Apple [1], turning this setting off “deletes all Siri and Dictation history associated with your Apple ID from Apple servers.”
You can also disable just Dictation History by toggling off “Enable Dictation” in your keyboard settings. To fully disable Siri on your device, you can toggle off “Press Home for Siri” and “Allow Siri When Locked” in your Siri settings.
Disabling Siri history provides more privacy by preventing Apple from storing your voice data. However, it means you lose access to helpful Siri features like personalized results based on previous queries. Evaluate your privacy priorities to decide if turning off Siri history makes sense for your needs.
Clear Browser History
Your browser, like Chrome or Safari, records a history of your searches, including voice searches. By clearing your browsing history, you can also delete your voice search history. When you delete your browser history, voice searches get erased along with your text searches, sites visited, and other browsing data.
To clear your Chrome history on desktop, open your browser and click the three dot menu > History > Clear browsing data. Make sure to check the “Browsing history” box before clicking “Clear data”. On mobile, go to Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data. Select the desired timeframe, check Browsing history, and tap Clear data.
For Safari desktop, go to History > Clear History. Choose how far back you want to delete browsing data. On iOS, navigate to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Check off “Browsing History” before tapping Clear History and Data.
Clearing your browser history provides an easy way to wipe your voice search records along with the rest of your browsing data. Just be aware it also deletes your saved passwords and other information stored in your browser.
Use Voice Search Anonymously
If you want to use voice search features but don’t want your searches tied to your account, there are some options to search anonymously. One way is to use your browser’s incognito or private mode. When enabled, Chrome, Firefox, Edge and other major browsers won’t save your browsing history, cookies, site data or information entered in forms. Just make sure to disable any syncing or extensions first.
You can also use the mic in the Google search bar without being logged into your Google account. According to research by Bell et al. (2020), Google does not associate voice searches with user accounts when not logged in. However, your searches may still be saved by Google to improve speech recognition.
On mobile devices, you can enable private browsing in Safari iOS or use browsers like Firefox Focus and DuckDuckGo which allow anonymous searching by voice. Just be aware that your IP address and location may still be logged. For full anonymity, you would need to use a VPN or proxy service to mask this identifying information.
Extra Privacy Precautions
While the previous steps go a long way to improving your voice search privacy, there are some extra options if you want even greater anonymity and protection.
First, consider using a VPN on your devices. A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address, making it much harder for companies or criminals to track you. This is important for voice searches because your IP address could help identify your device and location.
You can also use private/incognito browsing when doing voice searches. This prevents the search engine from linking the search to your browsing history and profile. However, it doesn’t stop the search engine from collecting and storing the recording itself.
Thirdly, be cautious when connecting new smart devices with voice capabilities to your home network. Many connected home devices record and transmit data that could compromise your privacy.
Finally, use general caution when discussing private topics aloud near your devices. The microphone may accidentally activate and record sensitive conversations.
Voice Search Alternatives
If you are concerned about privacy with voice search, there are search engines that provide alternatives without tracking your data. One popular option is DuckDuckGo, which does not store personal information or search history. DuckDuckGo also has voice search capabilities through apps on iOS and Android.
Other private search engines like Startpage also allow voice queries without logging any personal data. You can say “OK, Startpage” to initiate a voice search on mobile. There are also various third party apps like PreSearch that facilitate private voice search using an anonymous model.
While these alternatives may not have all the advanced capabilities of Google or Alexa, they provide voice search functionality without compromising on privacy. For those concerned about their voice data being tracked, private search engines are a more secure option.
Conclusion
There are a few key steps you can take to delete your voice search history and increase your privacy when using voice assistants. First, check your privacy settings in Google, Alexa, and Siri, and disable options to store recordings. You can also directly delete any existing recordings through each platform’s settings or mobile app. Consider turning off voice search history entirely if you want to prevent any logging of your requests going forward.
In addition, make sure to clear your browser history regularly, avoid logging into accounts when using voice search, and use anonymous modes when possible. Limit the amount of personal information linked to your voice assistant account. While voice search can be convenient, always think carefully about what details you provide out loud. With a few simple precautions, you can enjoy the benefits of voice technology while maintaining control over your privacy.