Its updated privacy policy, effective October 16, now allows content from Gmail, Google Photos and Drive to shape the ads you see, as long as you have shared that data with other Google services. Google has reworked a long-standing promise about your inbox. The change was first spotted by Android Authority.
In a statement, the company said ads will stay relevant to your query, the context of the response and your interests, and “will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library. Until now, the policy carried a plain line saying Google does not show personalised ads based on your Drive, Gmail or Photos content. That line is still there, but it now ends with a qualifier: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads. In practice, this covers anyone who has turned on Personal Intelligence, the feature that lets Gemini and AI Mode in Search read from your personal apps. Google pitches Personal Intelligence as a convenience. Ask Search for dinner spots near your hotel, and it can pull the booking from Gmail and suggest restaurants close by. Once connected, that access stretches beyond AI Mode to Discover, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News. The Gemini app has no ads for now, but AI search results already carry sponsored content, and that is where the two meet. Google maintains the feature is entirely opt-in. To cut the link, open your Google Account and go to Data & privacy, then Personalisation settings. Select Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services, find Connected Content Apps under Additional Personal Intelligence, and disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos. You can also switch off Personalized Recommendations altogether from the Search Services Personalization page. There is one more step. As Android Authority points out, disconnecting an app does not erase what Google has already stored in Search Services History, even if you delete the original email or photo. That has to be cleared separately from My Activity, or the old data stays tied to your account.