Google is recording your voice: How to listen to (and delete) the files

You probably already figured that Google keeps track of your web searches, but did you know that the Internet giant may be storing recordings of your voice?

We recently discovered these audio files on the My Activity page, which is available at myactivity.google.com.

Google may be recording your voice

Read more: Have you Googled yourself lately? Here’s why you should

When you get to the My Activity page, you’ll see a timeline of activity across Google products, including websites you’ve searched and visited, as well as images and videos you’ve viewed.

Your current privacy settings will determine what exactly is displayed on your timeline.

Listen to the recordings

If you’ve used the “Ok Google” command to conduct voice searches, you’ll want to click on the Voice & Audio Activity tab (direct link) to listen to the recordings that are stored.

For example, I used the voice-control feature to set a timer on my Android smartphone. Google saved the recording. So when I clicked play, I heard exactly what I said using “Ok Google.”

Here’s how Google explains the audio that it stores:

When you use audio activation commands, such as ‘Ok Google’ or touching the microphone icon, your private Voice & Audio Activity stores some voice and other audio to your account. A recording of the following speech/audio, plus a few seconds before, will be stored.

Delete the files

Google says it stores the recordings to improve your experience with the voice search feature.

If you want to delete the audio files permanently, Google makes it easy for you to do that by navigating to “Delete activity by” on the top left of the My Activity page.

Using the drop-down, select “All time” as the date, choose “Voice & Audio” under the product menu and click delete.

Change your settings

Finally, you may want to change your settings to prevent future recordings of your voice and other audio from being saved to your Google account.

From the navigation bar on the left, click “Activity controls” and then pause “Voice & Audio Activity.”

Here’s what Google says about making this change:

When Voice & Audio Activity is off, voice inputs won’t be saved to your Google Account, even if you’re signed in. Instead, they may only be saved using anonymous identifiers.

Review your privacy settings