Hack of the day: Auto-delete old Google activity saved on the account

'The Times of India' brings you 'Hack of the Day'—a new weekday series of quick, practical solutions to everyday hassles. Each hack is designed to save you time, money or stress, using tools and features within your reach—from government websites to everyday apps. In simple terms, it's simple fixes for smarter living.'Managing your digital footprint is just as important as managing your inbox. Google saves a wide range of activity — from searches and app usage to location history and YouTube watch records. Over time, this builds up into a massive archive of personal data. Manually clearing it once in a while can be tedious, but Google offers a smarter solution: auto-delete. By enabling auto-delete, you can set Google to automatically erase activity after a chosen period (like 3, 18, or 36 months). This reduces how much old data stays stored in your account, helping protect privacy and declutter your digital history.Open Google Account settingsGo to Data and PrivacySelect history settingsTap Auto-deleteChoose retention periodDeleting old activity can reduce personalization if you rely heavily on history-based suggestions. If you want to keep tailored recommendations, choose a longer auto-delete window.