Google IS quietly recording your voice… here is how to switch the feature off

There is a hidden feature in users’ Google accounts that lets the tech giant quietly record their voices that it stores for other uses.

Google saves the audio recordings from web and app activity, along with verbal interactions with Search, Assistant and Maps, which it uses ‘to develop and improve its audio recognition technologies.’

However, A tech expert recently shared a ‘cheat code’ that he claimed will stop Google from recording your smartphone activity. 

Users need to manage their Google account and unselect options in ‘Data and Privacy,’ which a digital expert has claimed will block the tech company from accessing your microphone and camera.

Users need to manage their Google account. Then select Data & Privacy at the top and then Web & Activity

Tech entrepreneur Jeffrey Castillo posted a video on Instagram, explaining that users can  turn off this function by going to the Google app and clicking on ‘Manage your Google account.’

From there, select the ‘Data and Privacy’ tab and scroll down to ‘History setting’ and select the ‘Web and App activity’ section, which you’ll see has a blue checkmark.

Once you click in and scroll down, you should notice that the voice and audio activity setting has a blue checkmark- uncheck that to put a stop to Google listening in. 

The way Google continues to pick up on conversations is a verbal version of a search engine, and each time it receives a ‘Hey Google’ command, it’s creates the same effect as opening a browser window.

‘When this voice and audio activity setting is off, audio recordings from voice interactions with Google Search, Assistant, and Maps won’t be saved to your Google Account on Google servers, even if you’re signed in,’ Google has shared.

‘If you turn this voice and audio activity setting off, previously saved audio is not deleted.

‘You can delete your audio recordings at any time.’

Google has claimed it only listens in to snippets of conversations to pick up ‘wake words’ that it was programmed to recognize, allowing it to respond to voice commands.

Although Google and other companies like Amazon and Apple argue that their assistant devices including Alexa and Siri only listen for commands and marketing efforts, the reality is that it still poses a major privacy concern.

Once you click in and scroll down, you should notice that the voice and audio activity setting has a blue checkmark- uncheck that to put a stop to Google listening in

If cybercriminals access your account or tap in to your smart devices, they could listen to phone recordings and steal information from Google’s stored data.

Other steps you can take to protect yourself include verifying the apps you download to make sure they are from official stores rather than third-parties that could contain malware and review app permissions to turn off access to your phone’s microphone.

Norton, a cybersecurity application, suggested that people delete their voice request history to there isn’t a memory bank of your conversations, use a VPN to encrypt your information so it can’t be accessed by third parties and keep your software up-to-date.