Clear your search history in the Google app or Safari
On iPhone, you have two places where Google search history lives: inside the Google app itself, and in Safari if you use Google as your search engine. To clear Google search history from the Google app, open it and tap your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Settings > Search history. Tap Delete all at the bottom of the screen, then confirm. This removes searches you performed directly in the Google app.
If you search through Safari's address bar, you're clearing Safari history instead — Google doesn't store those searches on Google's servers the same way. To clear Safari history on iPhone, open Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, then choose the time range. This removes your Safari search activity from your device, though Google may still have a record if you were signed into your Google account.
The key difference: clearing the Google app removes searches Google recorded. Clearing Safari removes searches from your device. If you want both gone, you need to do both steps. Neither action removes your search history from Google's servers if you were signed in — that requires a separate step in your Google account settings.
Key Takeaways
- Open the Google app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings > Search history, and tap Delete all to remove searches from the Google app itself.
- Open Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data to remove Safari searches from your iPhone, though this does not remove them from Google's servers.
- Clearing your iPhone does not delete your search history from your Google account if you were signed in — you must delete it from Google's website separately.
- You can set the Google app to not save searches by turning off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings on any device.
Why your iPhone keeps Google searches even after you clear them
When you search on Google while signed into your Google account, Google stores that search in your account across all your devices. Clearing your iPhone only removes the local copy — the record still exists on Google's servers. This is why you might see old searches reappear if you sign out and back in, or if you use a different device.
Google keeps this history to personalize your search results and show you relevant ads. If you do not want Google storing your searches at all, you can turn off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com on any device, select Data & Privacy, find Web & App Activity, and toggle it off. This stops Google from recording new searches, but does not delete past ones.
Delete your entire Google search history from your account
To remove all your Google searches from Google's servers, not just from your iPhone, you need to access your Google account online. On your iPhone, open a web browser and go to myaccount.google.com. Sign in if needed, then tap Data & Privacy on the left side (or scroll down if you're on mobile).
Find the section labeled My Activity and tap it. You'll see a list of your searches and activity organized by date. At the top, tap the three-line menu icon, then select Delete activity by. Choose the date range — you can delete everything, or just searches from a specific time period. Confirm the deletion. This removes the searches from your Google account permanently.
This process works the same way whether you're on iPhone, Android, or a computer. Once deleted from your Google account, those searches won't appear in your search suggestions on any device you sign into.
Stop Google from saving future searches
If you want to search without Google recording your activity, you have two options: turn off Web & App Activity in your Google account, or use private browsing mode in Safari.
Private browsing in Safari prevents your iPhone from storing the search locally, but Google still records it if you're signed into your Google account. To use private browsing, open Safari, tap the tabs icon at the bottom right, then tap Private in the lower left corner. All searches in private tabs won't appear in your Safari history on that device.
To prevent Google from recording searches entirely, turn off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com > Data & Privacy > Web & App Activity and toggle it off. After you do this, Google won't store your searches, but you may notice your search results are less personalized and you'll see fewer targeted ads.
What happens when you clear search history on a shared iPhone
If you share an iPhone with family members, clearing your Google search history only removes it from your own Google account — not from anyone else's. Each person who uses the phone with their own Google account has separate search history stored on Google's servers.
However, if someone else is signed into your Google account on the shared iPhone, clearing the Google app history will remove searches from that account for everyone using it. To keep your searches private on a shared device, use a separate Google account or turn off Web & App Activity for your account so nothing gets saved in the first place.
If you want to remove Safari history from the shared phone itself (not from Google's servers), clearing Safari history removes it for whoever is using Safari at that moment, but it doesn't affect other people's Google accounts or their search history stored on Google's servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my iPhone search history delete it from Google too?
No. Clearing the Google app or Safari on your iPhone only removes the local copy from your device. Your search history remains on Google's servers if you were signed into your Google account. To delete it from Google, you must go to myaccount.google.com and delete it from your account settings.
Can I delete only certain searches instead of all of them?
Yes, on Google's website. Go to myaccount.google.com > Data & Privacy > My Activity, find the specific search, and tap the trash icon next to it. In the Google app on iPhone, you can only delete all searches at once, not individual ones.
If I turn off Web & App Activity, will my old searches disappear?
No. Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from recording new searches, but your past searches remain in your account. You must manually delete them through My Activity on myaccount.google.com if you want them gone.
Does private browsing in Safari stop Google from recording my searches?
Private browsing stops Safari from storing searches on your iPhone, but Google still records them if you're signed into your Google account. To prevent Google from recording anything, turn off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings.