Smart features and personalization can be disabled in one fell swoop
Google continues to take steps to provide more privacy for its users. This time, the company will add a new customization for smart features of the Gmail mail service, as well as for personalizing services based on user data and history.
In the coming weeks, Google will start asking users if they want to use smart features and personalization in Gmail, Meet and Chat, or if they should turn them off altogether.
Gmail users are prompted to turn off a number of smart features, including automatic categorization of emails, smart typing or Smart Compose, shopping cards, booking and tracking packages, and calendar events.
You can disable not only smart functions, but also “surveillance” or as Google calls it “personalization”. The fact is that Google uses data from Gmail, Meet and Chat to better customize its other proprietary services for a specific user, such as the voice assistant Google Assistant, Google Maps, and many others. For example, Assistant will remind you of invoices, Maps will show a restaurant with a reserved table, Google Pay will show you loyalty cards and tickets.
However, Gmail’s smart features also use user data and history. If you disable personalization, then Google services will work in a limited amount of functionality.