Originally shared by Spencer Wade
Google My Account: Deep Diving
Last week, we touched on the importance of Google’s Security Checkup. This discussion centered on the four-step process accessed through the My Account page. While that’s an excellent resource we should all take advantage of regularly, it’s just a small fraction of what you can do with this page. We’re going to briefly go through each section and give you an idea of what you can do there. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Sign-In & Security
This is the area where you’ll find the Security Checkup we spoke of last week. But, that was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also an excellent Find Your Phone function that tracks the device you use to access Google. It will tell you where the phone was the last time it touched base, so if you’re on Fi it will know where it is all the time. You can check the ways you sign in, including skipping passwords for simply tapping your phone instead. You’ll see your devices and any security alerts you’ve received, as well as your trusted apps and sites. At the very bottom of the page is a link to your personal privacy settings, too.
Personal Info & Privacy
This page is loaded with everything you need to control your personal information on Google. There is a Privacy Checkup, much like the Security we’ve discussed, and a link to your own My Activity page where you can set activity controls and review your past activity – not to mention a Google Maps Timeline and your Google Dashboard. You can manage your ad settings and control your content, including a download or transfer archive of your Google data. There’s also an Inactive Account Manager setting that allows you to decide what happens to your data if you ever leave Google for good and a Check Your Security Settings link at the very bottom of the page.
Account Preferences
The last big page in your My Account book is Account Preferences. This is where you can check into your data storage settings and decide how you want to interact with Google on certain levels. Your first choice is Language & Input Tools. Here you can change your preferred language across all Google’s products and services. You can also use the Accessibility setting to adapt your Google experience to take full advantage of your assistive technologies. There is a Your Google Drive Storage section where you can upgrade your allocated Google storage if necessary, and, finally, the forgotten and dusty Delete Your Account or Services area.
The End of the Road
The last few areas are pretty much self-explanatory, though they do make for interesting reading. It’s never a bad thing, especially with all the hacking incidents in the news, to be prepared with facts to better understand a possible scenario that affects your data and privacy. Some of the settings here should be more familiar to users than they are, and it might even surprise you to learn some users have no idea the page even exists. So, think of this as a public service to help all new users better understand the whats, hows, and whys of the Google experience. After all, that’s what the entire page is for anyway.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!
Source: https://myaccount.google.com/
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