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Yes: Google Play now has its own controls for Play History and personalization, so turning off Google Account Web & App Activity (WAA) alone is no longer the direct way to manage those Play-specific settings. Google announced the separation on January 9, 2026. WAA still matters for activity across other Google services; it has not been switched off or replaced.
To check Play’s controls, open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, and go to Personalization in Play → Play History. There you can review whether Play History is on, which kinds of activity it includes, and the available deletion and auto-delete options. Menu labels and availability may differ between accounts.
What changed: Play activity now has its own controls
Previously, Web & App Activity was the account-level activity setting associated with personalization across Google services, including Google Play. That made it reasonable to think switching WAA off would also govern Play’s activity and recommendations.
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Google’s January 9, 2026 announcement says that WAA no longer controls Google Play personalization or Play History. Instead, Google Play has dedicated settings. During the transition, Google said the new Play settings would inherit each account’s most recent WAA choice, so its initial behavior would remain consistent with that choice. That does not make WAA the continuing master switch for Play.
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The change is about which controls govern Play, not a statement that Play has stopped collecting activity. Google’s current Play Help page describes Play History controls for activity on Google Play and app usage, as well as options to review, delete, and automatically delete available history.
Play personalization and Play History are related, but not identical
- Play personalization governs whether Play uses information to tailor the experience, such as recommendations. Review this control separately if it appears in your account.
- Play History is the Play-specific activity history available through Google’s controls. Its settings include whether to include your activity on Google Play and your app usage.
Those categories should not be treated as a guaranteed, complete record of every action in the store or every app ever installed. What is visible can vary with the account, device, services used, and rollout. Also, a personalization choice is not the same thing as a history setting: if you want to limit both tailored recommendations and the saving of Play activity, inspect both rather than assuming one switch covers everything.
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Change Play History on Android
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Tap Personalization in Play, then Play History.
- Review the Google Play History control and turn it on or off as desired.
- Check the separate options for Include your activity on Google Play and Include your app usage; deselect the categories you do not want included.
Google’s documented route is in its Android instructions. If your screen offers a separate Play personalization control, review that too. Google may change labels or menu placement, so use the equivalent Play History, activity-category, and personalization controls if the wording differs. After changing a setting, return to the page and verify it reflects your choice.
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Change Play History on the web
Google documents two routes on a computer:
- Through My Activity: Go to myactivity.google.com, open Play History, and adjust the Google Play History setting.
- Through Google Play: Open Google Play on the web, open the profile menu, choose Personalization in Play, then Play History.
From Play History, review the available activity categories and use the deletion or auto-delete controls if you want to manage records already saved. See Google’s computer instructions for the current web route.
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Turning a setting off is not the same as deleting history
| Action | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Turn off Play History or deselect a Play activity category | Changes the Play-specific history setting or which category is included going forward, according to the controls shown for the account. |
| Delete Play History | Removes available Play History records through the Play History deletion controls. Turning history off alone should not be taken to mean that existing records were erased. |
| Set Play History to auto-delete | Applies the retention option and duration offered in that account’s interface. Check the displayed choice; there is not one universal period to assume for every account. |
| Turn off WAA | Changes the broader Google Account activity setting, but no longer serves as the direct control for Play History and Play personalization. |
| Turn off and delete WAA activity | Changes WAA and offers deletion of relevant WAA activity, a separate action from deleting Play History. |
Google distinguishes between turning WAA off and choosing to turn it off and delete activity. See its Web & App Activity instructions. Likewise, use Play History’s own deletion tools for Play records. Neither visible history control should be assumed to erase every record Google may retain for another service, account, or operational purpose.
What WAA still controls—and what the change does not mean
WAA remains an important Google Account activity control. Google says it can save searches and activity on Google products and services, along with associated information; depending on enabled options, it can also include activity from sites, apps, and devices that use Google services. It can support personalized experiences across Google products. Review the Google Account explanation of WAA and the account activity controls for the settings currently available to you.
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In practical terms:
- Turning off WAA is still relevant if you want to change activity saving for other Google services. It is not a universal stop-data-collection switch.
- Turning off Play History does not turn off WAA or other separate histories and controls, such as YouTube History, Timeline, ad settings, or device permissions.
- Google’s announcement concerns Play activity and personalization. It does not say that disabling or deleting Play History erases purchase receipts, subscriptions, app entitlements, or records needed to operate an account. Do not treat the history controls as a way to remove those account or transaction records.
- Separating settings offers more control—you can review Play independently of broader Google activity—but also makes it easier to overlook one when changing the other.
If you cannot find the new Play controls
Google said the change would roll out to accounts over time, and menus can vary by region, account type, language, and app version. A missing label does not by itself show that something is wrong.
- Confirm that the correct Google Account is active in Play Store.
- Update Google Play if an update is available, then reopen the profile menu.
- Check My Activity for a Play History entry.
- If the account is managed by an employer or school, or is supervised as part of a family account, some controls may be different or restricted.
If you turn off WAA but Play recommendations remain personalized, check Play’s own personalization controls. If old Play activity remains visible after you turn off history, use the separate deletion control. Stopping future saving and removing existing records are different tasks.
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A quick privacy check
- In Play Store, review Personalization in Play → Play History, including the Play activity and app-usage categories.
- Use Play History’s deletion or auto-delete options if you want to manage previously saved Play records.
- Separately review Web & App Activity in Google Account settings for activity across other Google services, and choose deletion separately if needed.
The essential point is the split: WAA still matters across Google, but Google Play’s own history and personalization settings now need their own review.
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