How Can I Hide My Order History on Play Store?

Thousands of people use Google’s play store every day. Like with most other online service providers, the play store also collects user data such as search history, downloads, and orders. But not everybody accepts this policy and prefers more privacy. So, how do you hide your activities in the play store?

Go to your Google account and proceed to the “Data & Personalization” option there. Here, you can pause your activities on various Google platforms by switching off the “web & app activities” options. Also, you can delete your history permanently by choosing the “payments and subscriptions” option.

In this age internet, privacy is an ever-present concern for a lot of people. So, this article is here to show you how to hide or remove the history of your activities on the play store and similar services and platforms.

How to Hide My Activity History on Play Store?

Google play store is the one-stop-shop for all android-based apps and related products. It is the official marketplace approved by Google. And in order to provide better customer service, Google gathers info on a user’s activities on the platform.

By following these steps, you can pause your activities on the play store. So, your search and order history remains hidden from everybody.

For Android & iPhone Users

Open your play store app.
Tap on your profile icon. This will open up a menu with many options.
Go to “Manage your Google Account”. Here, you can customize various aspects of your account to your liking.
Go to “Data & Personalization”. Here, you will find the options to personalize your Google activities.
Then, go to “Manage your activity controls”.
Then, simply turn off the features and you will be good go.

For Computer Users

Go to your Google account by opening myaccount.Google.com on your browser.
On the left, you will see a navigation panel. Click on the “Data & Personalization” option and you will be taken to history controls.
Below “Activity controls”, you will see various options. Click on “Manage Your Activity Controls”.
Here, you can shut off the activity you want and leave the rest on.

When the “Web & App Activities” is turned on, Google records all your activities on various Google related products such as play store, chrome, etc. These records include search history, order list, past purchases, stores you have visited, etc.

So, opting to pause this feature will prevent your activities from being recorded. The downside is that you will receive a far less personalized Google play store platform.

You can always check back in and resume the activity record at any time. Just follow the exact same steps and you will find yourself on the proper page.

How to Delete Your Activities?

Another way of preventing anyone from tracking your order history is to delete it altogether from your account. It is a simple process and does not require you to pause your activity controls completely.

There are a few different ways you can perform this task. But the basis is the same for all of them.

Method 1

Open your Google account on your browser.
On the left-hand side, you will see a navigation panel and the option “Payments & Subscriptions”. Click on it and you will be brought to a new window.
Here, you can perform various activities. To remove purchase history, go to “Manage Purchases” under the headline “Purchase”.
You will be presented with a list of all your previous purchases or orders.
Select any of the items on the list to see full details.
You will see the option for “Remove purchase”. Select it and press “Yes” on the subsequent confirmation box, and that order history will be removed permanently.

Method 2

If you an android or iPhone user, you can access your account in a different way. Open your play store app and tap on your profile icon.

Then, go to “Manage your Google account” and you will see the option for “Payments & Subscriptions”. The rest of the steps from here are similar to the one we already detailed.

Why Does Google Track Your Activities?

Similar to most internet-based platforms, Google keeps a record of your activities as part of its customer service policy. Simply put, tracking your activities help to create a more personalized experience with Google and related products.

You will notice this when you get recommendations based on your previous search history. Google collects data such as the apps you have searched, publishers you have visited, products you have ordered. Google also keeps track of any ads you may have clicked on and uses that as a reference point as well.

They then use their algorithm to generate recommendations and ads that are personalized to your preference.

It also helps to speed up the browsing process. If you are on the market for a product that is similar to another one you purchased previously, you will be able to find that product in a much quicker time.

Should You Hide Your History?

While Google’s tracking of your activities leads to a more personalized experience, it does come at a cost. Internet privacy is a growing concern, and many users prioritize their privacy highly.

Google has come out and said that it does not sell your data to third-party companies in exchange for ad revenue, it still does collect your data. And that is an aspect that many do not like or are willing to accept.

So, if you are someone who absolutely wants their privacy above all else, you can pause or delete your history on this platform.

I believe, by following the instructions in this article, you can customize your activity controls and use Google’s play store the way you want.