Google’s updated privacy policy says insights from content apps connected to Search can help personalize ads. The current Search connection covers Gmail through Google Workspace and, where available, Google Photos. Connecting them is optional; the policy also mentions Drive as a service whose data could be made available to other Google services. This does not mean Google is using everyone’s inbox or photo library to target ads. If you connected them for Personal Intelligence, you can disconnect them.
The policy took effect on 16 October 2026. If you connect content apps for Personal Intelligence, summaries or inferences used to tailor a Search answer may also affect the ads you see. Your inbox and photo library are not handed to advertisers.
What changed in Google’s privacy policy
The policy still says Google does not normally base personalized ads on content from Drive, Gmail or Photos. It now makes an exception “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”
The policy says a service such as Search may process some of the data you make available to personalize content, including ads. A hotel booking found through a connected app could shape a travel answer, and an insight from it could also affect ads. That is different from giving an advertiser the booking itself.
What Google says it will not do
Google says ads are not based directly on your Gmail inbox or Google Photos library. If you opt in, Search may use summaries, excerpts and inferences from those apps to personalize your experience, and that same information may be used for ads. Google also says:
- Advertisers cannot access your connected apps, and Google does not share your name or email with them unless you ask it to.
- Sensitive categories such as health, religion and sexual orientation are not used to personalize ads.
- You can disconnect the apps from Search services at any time.
- The setting for connected content apps is separate from your broader ad controls in My Ad Center.
Google says advertisers cannot open the connected apps. The separate question is whether you want Search to use insights drawn from them at all.
The AI training and human review catch
Ads are only part of the decision. Google says it may use summaries, excerpts and inferences from connected content apps to improve its services, including training generative AI models. It says it does not train those models directly on the entire Gmail inbox or Photos library. In some cases, however, a summary can be as detailed as a short email.
Google also says a subset of personalized Search or Ask Maps interactions can be reviewed by trained people. That can include excerpts or inferences from relevant emails and files. Google advises against connecting apps containing personal or confidential information you would not want used for training or seen by a reviewer.
Does this affect users in India?
India appears on Google’s supported-country list for connecting content apps to Search. The feature is for personal accounts belonging to adults, and Photos connections are not available in every region. Check which options actually appear in your account.
Search and the Gemini app have separate app-connection controls. Check Search’s connected content apps even if you already reviewed your Gemini settings.
How to stop Gmail and Photos data from shaping ads
To disconnect Gmail and Photos from Search:
- In your Google Account, open Search Services Personalization.
- Open Additional Personal Intelligence, then Connected Content Apps.
- Disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos if they appear as connected.
Google says these Search settings are changing gradually, so the labels may differ on your account. You can also turn off Personalized Recommendations in Search Services Personalization. Check the Gemini app separately if you connected apps there, and use My Ad Center for Google’s broader ad controls.
One catch: disconnecting an app does not necessarily erase what Google has already saved. Data stored in Search Services History can stay there even after you disconnect the app or delete the original email or photo, so clear that history as well if you want a fresh start.
Should you keep Personal Intelligence on?
I would leave the connection on only if pulling details such as bookings from Gmail genuinely saves me time. Otherwise, disconnect it. AI Mode still works without connected content apps.
FAQ
Is Google reading my Gmail to show me ads?
Not by default. If you connect content apps to Search services, Google says summaries, excerpts and inferences from those apps may help personalize ads. It says ads are not based directly on your inbox or photo library.
When did the policy change?
The updated Google Privacy Policy took effect on 16 October 2026.
Can advertisers see my emails or photos?
No. Google says advertisers cannot access your connected apps, and it does not share your name or email with them unless you ask it to.
Does disconnecting delete my data?
Not always. Information already saved in Search Services History can remain, so delete that history separately.
- SourceGoogle Privacy Policy
