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How to clear your Google search history on your Android phone or tablet

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It might be a good idea to clear your Google search history on your Android device to ensure your privacy. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

  • You can clear your Google search history on your Android device from the last hour, the last day, the last month, or forever. 
  • Your online searches are your private business, and are best kept that way by periodic clearing of your Google search history on your Android phone or tablet.
  • Clearing your Google search history off your Android device also stops past searches from affecting new search results.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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What you search for on your Android phone or tablet is your own private business, but if someone were to go through your Google search history on your device, that private stuff could become all too public. That's the main reason you should regularly clear your Google search history on your Android, but it's not the only reason.

Past Google searches can impact the results you get in future searches, which means that the results Google gives you could be influenced by keywords you searched in the past. For example, say you had an assignment about the Civil War, but now that it's submitted your interest in the 1860s has faded — until you clear your search history, those dozens of Civil War-centric search queries will still influence your Google results here in the 21st century.

Clearing search history on an Android device is a quick and easy process, so don't skip it.

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Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)

Microsoft Surface Go (From $549 at Best Buy)

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How to clear your Google history on your Android device

1. Launch the Google Chrome app and check to make sure you are logged into your account.

2. Tap the three little dots at the top-right corner of the screen.

How to clear Google history on Android
Using an incognito search tabs means your search history will not be logged in the first place. Steven John/Business Insider

3. Tap on "History" in the drop-down menu.

How to clear Google history on Android
You should wipe all search history off a phone or tablet before you turn the device in for repairs or before you sell or exchange the device. Steven John/Business Insider

4. Tap "CLEAR BROWSING DATA" on the next screen.

5. Tap the words "Last hour" to select the time and date range of search data you want to erase, then tap "CLEAR DATA."

How to clear Google history on Android
Tap the amount of time that you want to clear data for and then tap "CLEAR DATA." Steven John/Business Insider

 

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Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

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