How to Turn off your Search and Location History in Google

By now, it should come as no surprise that Google keeps track of your search and location history.

But you may be surprised to find out just how detailed that history that is. Google not only lets you view your past search history, you can now get a detailed look at just about every place you've ever visited. These settings are enabled by default, but they don't have to be.

While the thought of Google quietly recording your every search — whether it's on Maps, YouTube or its search engine — can be disconcerting, there are reasons why it's useful to keep these settings enabled. For example, it helps Google offer up better recommendations (and, yes, more targeted ads). Plus, if you're a Google Now user, it can help make recommendations more personalized. Nevertheless, if you want to erase your Google footprint, here's how to do it.

Get a clean slate

Google recently streamlined many of its privacy settings and other account tools when it released a privacy dashboard last year. Head over to your "My account" page and select "Activity Controls" under the "Personal Info and Privacy" menu.

Here, you can see a list of cards that allow you to control how Google saves your search and activity history. It's possible to "pause" history related to search and browsing activity, Maps, voice search, YouTube and what else you've watched, as well as "information from your devices," a setting that uses data from your calendar and other apps to improve personalization in other Google services.

Keep in mind that if you use more than one Google account, you'll have to repeat these steps for each account. It's also a good idea to review your privacy and security settings while you're in your account dashboard.

If you want to delete previous activity that's already been saved, you can find instructions for doing so here (for search and browsing) and here (for maps and location).

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How to Save Battery Life Using Low Power Mode on the iPhone

For iPhone users who are always low on battery life, there's an easy way to squeeze more power out of your device throughout the day.

By flipping on the iPhone's Low Power Mode, it temporarily reduces power consumption until you can fully charge your phone; essentially, it puts a hold on battery-sucking features like mail fetch and background refresh. You're probably already familiar with Low Power Mode — Apple sends a notification when you hit 20% battery life, asking if you want to engage it.

But the good news is Low Power Mode exists beyond moments of battery emergency. Here's how to get it: Open Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode (make sure it's "on").

You'll want to switch this on right after you're done charging the device — once you plug it back in at the end of the day and it hits 80% charged, Low Power Mode will unfortunately switch off, so you'll want to incorporate this process into your morning routine.

Low Power Mode is available for devices running iOS 9, but it'll work best with Apple's latest model smartphone, the iPhone 6S.

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