How to delete the last 15 minutes of your Google search history on Android
If you’ve been looking for a way to quickly delete the last 15 minutes of your Google search history on Android, your time has finally come. Jack Wallen shows you how to take care of this task.
Your privacy should be at the top of your mind any time you pick up your mobile device. So much of what you do on your phone is retained, shared, used, and (in some cases) abused. And at any moment, someone could pick up your Android phone and view anything you’ve searched for.
SEE: Mobile Device Security Policy (TechRepublic Premium)
Imagine you could very easily delete the last 15 minutes from your Google search history. Say, for instance, you were searching for a new job just before talking to your boss who happened to get a glance (for whatever reason) of your search history.
Faux. Pas.
Fortunately, Android makes it fairly easy to erase those last 15 minutes from your search history. This is a feature that’s been available on iOS for some time. Good news, Android users. Google has started rolling out that feature to its own mobile platform, so all you have to do is tap a button to clear that search history.
And I’m going to show you how it’s done.
What you’ll need
In order to enjoy this feature, you’ll need an updated version of Android. This feature shouldn’t be limited only to Pixel devices or Android 12, but (as we all know) Google can be a bit hit-and-miss about releasing features. I’m demonstrating on a Pixel 6 Pro with Android 12. If you find your device doesn’t include the feature, wait until the next update hits and check back.
How to delete the last 15 minutes of your search history
With a supported device, all you have to do is open the Google app (tap Google from the App Drawer—Figure A).
Figure A
When you first open that app after the feature has been added, you’ll see a popup alert indicating you can clear the last 15 minutes of Search history with one tap (Figure B).
Figure B
Tap your profile pic at the top right of the window and a new pop-up will appear (Figure C).
Figure C
