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To stop Google from using your account activity—including information associated with Maps—to personalize ads, open My Ad Center, switch Personalized ads to Off, and confirm. This is an account-level change for signed-in users. It applies to Google services on devices where that account is signed in, but it does not remove every advertisement: Google can still show contextual, non-personalized ads.
If you want a narrower change, My Ad Center also lets you stop using Activity on sites and apps or Areas where you’ve used Google for ad personalization. Those controls are different from deleting Maps history and do not necessarily turn off personalized recommendations.
What turning off personalized ads actually changes
Google’s broad control is the Personalized ads switch in My Ad Center. Google states: “When you turn off personalized ads, Google will not use the information and activity saved to your Google account or your choices in My Ad Center to show you ads.” In practical terms, the account’s saved signals and ad-personalization choices are no longer used to select personalized Google ads.
The setting is not a Maps-only privacy switch. It governs personalized advertising across Google services, and Google says the signed-in setting applies across devices where you are signed in with that account. Your exact screen can differ if you are signed out, using a managed account, or not eligible for a particular control.
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Ads may continue after the change. Google can use contextual factors—such as the page, app, language, approximate region, time, or the content being viewed—to deliver non-personalized ads. Turning personalization off therefore changes how ads are selected; it does not make Google services ad-free.
A quick decision guide
Choose the setting according to the result you want, rather than assuming every location-related control does the same thing.
- You want the broadest reduction in account-based ad personalization: turn Personalized ads off. This is the main account-level control.
- You want to exclude web and app activity but leave other ad controls as they are: turn off Activity on sites and apps under Manage privacy.
- You specifically want areas where you use Google excluded from ad selection: turn off Use areas to personalize ads. This is the closest control to a Maps-related concern, but it applies to Google sites and apps generally, not Maps alone.
- You want Google to stop retaining records: use the separate Web & App Activity and My Activity controls. An advertising switch is not a deletion command.
These choices can overlap, but they have different scope. Turning off one input does not automatically turn off every other input, and deleting activity does not automatically turn off personalized ads.
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| Option | What you change | Advertising scope | What remains possible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized ads: Off | Stops Google from using information and activity saved to the account, plus My Ad Center choices, for personalized ads. | Broad account-level change across Google services for signed-in devices. | Contextual, non-personalized ads can still appear. Saved activity and personalized product experiences are separate settings. |
| Activity on sites and apps: Off | Removes that activity as an input to ad personalization. | Google documents this control as affecting ads on Search, YouTube, and Discover. | The activity may still be saved, and this switch does not itself turn off personalized recommendations. |
| Use areas to personalize ads: Off | Stops areas where you have used Google from being used for ad personalization. | Google says it affects ads on all Google sites and apps, not only Maps. | The areas may remain saved to the Google Account and can continue to inform personalized recommendations. |
Use the first option when you want the broadest advertising change. Use the selective controls when you want to keep other ad-personalization inputs available but exclude web/app activity or area information specifically.
Before you change the setting
- Sign in to the intended Google Account. Personalization controls belong to the account, so changing one account does not change another account used in the same browser or phone.
- Use a current browser or the Google app. My Ad Center is a web account control; the labels can be presented slightly differently on a phone, tablet, or desktop.
- Know which outcome you want. Turning off ad use of location-related signals is not the same as deleting Timeline, Web & App Activity, or other account records.
- Expect ads to remain. The goal is non-personalized advertising, not removal of ad placements from Search, Maps, YouTube, or other services.
- Identify other signed-in profiles. A browser may have personal, work, school, or family accounts open at once. The profile shown in My Ad Center determines which account you are changing.
Turn off all personalized ads in My Ad Center
This is the simplest route when your priority is to stop account information and activity from being used to personalize Google ads.
- Open My Ad Center while signed in to the Google Account you use with Maps.
- Find the Personalized ads setting on the My Ad Center home screen.
- Move the switch to Off.
- Read the confirmation panel, then select the confirmation option to apply the change.
- Return to My Ad Center and verify that the switch remains Off. If several Google accounts are open, check the profile picture or account identifier before assuming the change applied to the right account.
Google describes this as the broadest way to stop personalized advertising based on saved account information, activity, and choices made in My Ad Center. It does not erase the underlying activity. If you also want to control what Google retains, review your account’s separate Web & App Activity and My Activity settings.
Exclude activity and area information without disabling every ad-personalization control
My Ad Center provides a more selective path under Manage privacy. Google documents these controls in Control what data Google uses to show you ads.
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Stop activity on sites and apps from informing ads
- Open My Ad Center and choose Manage privacy.
- Open Activity on sites and apps.
- Switch the control off.
- Confirm the choice when prompted.
Google says this setting prevents that activity from being used to personalize ads on Search, YouTube, and Discover. It is not a deletion command. Existing activity can still be retained under the account’s activity settings, and the switch does not automatically disable personalized recommendations in Google products.
Stop areas where you have used Google from informing ads
- In My Ad Center, select Manage privacy.
- Open Areas where you’ve used Google.
- Turn off Use areas to personalize ads.
- Confirm the change.
This is the control most closely related to a Maps-based concern, but it is not a dedicated Google Maps-only toggle. Google characterizes it as the areas where you have used Google and says the choice affects ads on all Google sites and apps. The areas themselves may still be saved to the account and may continue to influence personalized recommendations. To change retention, use the separate activity-management controls rather than relying on this ad setting.
How the location-area control differs from Maps history
It is easy to treat every location signal as one setting, but Google separates advertising use from account retention. The Areas where you’ve used Google control concerns whether those areas are used to personalize ads. It does not promise to erase the places, searches, or other records associated with your account.
That distinction matters if you are troubleshooting a recommendation. A place suggestion, local result, or other personalized product experience can still be influenced by saved activity or area information even after you stop using that information for ads. In other words, an ad setting can change advertising while leaving the broader Google experience personalized.
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Does this delete Google Maps history or Timeline?
No. Ad personalization and saved activity are separate systems. Turning off Personalized ads, Activity on sites and apps, or Use areas to personalize ads changes whether particular information is used to select ads. It does not, by itself, delete Maps Timeline, searches, places, or other records already saved to the account.
Google explains that saved activity can support personalized product experiences—such as recommendations in Maps and Search—as well as personalized advertising. That is why disabling an ad input can leave recommendations unchanged. If your goal is data deletion or shorter retention, open the account’s Web & App Activity and My Activity controls and manage the relevant records there. Treat those as a separate privacy task: first change ad personalization if desired, then review and delete saved activity only if that is also your objective.
Why you may still see ads after personalization is off
They are contextual rather than personalized
Turning the switch off does not remove ad inventory. Google can use the context of a search, page, app, language, general region, or time to show a non-personalized ad. Such an ad can look relevant even though account activity and My Ad Center choices were not used to personalize it.
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You changed a narrower control
Turning off Areas where you’ve used Google removes area information as an ad input but leaves other eligible personalization inputs in place. Similarly, turning off Activity on sites and apps addresses that category and does not equal the account-wide Personalized ads switch. If you want the broadest change, verify that the main switch is off.
The browser or app is using another account
Multiple signed-in accounts can make it appear that a switch reverted. Check the active account in My Ad Center, then repeat the change for each account whose ads you want to control. A work, school, family, or other managed account may expose different controls from a personal account.
The setting has not appeared consistently yet
Close and reopen the Google app or browser tab, sign in again, and revisit My Ad Center. Do not infer that the setting failed from one ad impression alone; an ad can be contextual. Confirm the switch’s displayed state in My Ad Center instead.
You expected recommendations to change
Ad controls and product recommendations have different purposes. Google says area information may continue to inform recommendations even after its use for ads is disabled. A restaurant suggestion or Maps result therefore does not prove that personalized advertising is still enabled.
What happens on different devices and sign-in states
For a signed-in Google Account, Google says the My Ad Center personalization setting applies across devices where that account is signed in. You do not normally need to repeat the account-level change on every phone and computer. You do need to check which account is active on each device, especially when a personal and work account are both present.
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Changing the setting in one browser profile does not automatically change a different Google Account. Browser cookies and local ad settings can also affect what you see, but they are not substitutes for the account-level My Ad Center control.
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How to verify that the change is the one you intended
- Open My Ad Center while signed in.
- Check the account identity shown in the profile area.
- Confirm whether Personalized ads reads Off, or whether the selected privacy input—Activity on sites and apps or Use areas to personalize ads—reads Off.
- Wait for the setting page to finish saving before closing the tab.
- Use Google services normally, but judge success by the saved switch state, not by whether every ad disappears.
If the switch turns back on, repeat the process from the account that owns the setting. For a managed or otherwise ineligible account, the absence of a control is an account-availability issue rather than a Maps-history problem.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Turn personalization back on or change only one input
You can revisit My Ad Center at any time and reverse the choice. To restore broad ad personalization, turn Personalized ads back on and confirm. To keep broad personalization off while allowing a particular category again, use Manage privacy and change only that category. For example, you can leave the main switch off while reviewing the individual activity and area controls, but the account-level off state remains the controlling broad choice for personalized ads.
Re-enabling an ad setting does not recreate deleted activity. Conversely, deleting activity does not automatically switch personalized ads off. Keep those actions separate so you know whether you changed data retention, ad use, or both.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Looking only in Maps settings. The documented advertising control lives in My Ad Center, not as a Maps-only switch.
- Assuming “area” means one saved pin. The documented control refers to areas where you have used Google and affects ads across Google sites and apps.
- Deleting history when you only wanted different ads. Deletion changes saved activity; it is not required to turn personalized ads off.
- Testing with a single advertisement. A contextual ad may still appear, so one impression cannot establish that the switch failed.
- Changing a secondary account. Always verify the account identifier before and after saving the setting.
Related Google guidance
Google Maps’ privacy overview explains the available controls in How Google protects your privacy & keeps you in control. The My Ad Center overview is Get started with My Ad Center. For the mechanics of ad personalization on Android, see How personalized ads work – Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off location-based ads only in Google Maps?
Google does not document a Maps-only ad-personalization switch. The relevant My Ad Center control is Areas where you’ve used Google, and Google says it affects ads across Google sites and apps.
Will turning off personalized ads stop ads in the Maps app?
No. It stops account-based ad personalization, but contextual, non-personalized ads can still be displayed.
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Do I need to repeat the change on my phone and computer?
For the same signed-in Google Account, Google says the My Ad Center personalization setting applies across devices where you are signed in. Check the active account on each device.
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Why did a recommendation change even though I turned off an ad setting?
Recommendations and advertising use separate controls. Google says saved activity or area information may continue to inform personalized recommendations after its use for ads is disabled.
What should I do if My Ad Center has no Personalized ads switch?
Check that you are signed in to the intended account, open My Ad Center directly, and review Google’s account-specific guidance. Google notes that availability and labels can vary by sign-in state and account eligibility.
Will turning off an ad input delete my Maps activity?
No. Turning off personalized ads or an individual activity or area input changes ad selection only. Review Web & App Activity and My Activity separately if you want to delete saved records.
Can I turn off ads without turning off recommendations?
Yes. The ad controls and recommendation systems are separate. You can turn off broad or selected ad personalization while saved activity or areas continue to support personalized recommendations.
Why is the area setting not limited to Maps?
Google describes it as Areas where you’ve used Google and says it affects ads on all Google sites and apps. It is therefore broader than a Maps-only location switch.
The Bottom Line
Use My Ad Center’s Personalized ads switch and confirm Off for the broadest change. If you only want to exclude Maps-related area signals or web/app activity, disable those individual inputs instead; neither choice deletes saved activity or guarantees an ad-free Google experience.
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