Why can’t I see my recent searches on Google app? (FIX)

With Google Discover and Home Screen widgets, many Android users use the Google app for web browsing instead of a dedicated mobile browser. And the experience is similar to the one you’ll find in Chrome. However, some users found that recent searches don’t appear in the Google app. If you can’t see recent searches in the Google app, check the instructions we provided below.

Table of contents:

1. Check the Web and App activity in Google Account Settings
2. Enable Personal results in the app
3. Clear app data from the Google app
4. Uninstall updates from the Google app

How do you see recent searches on Google App?

The recent searches in the Google app should appear the moment you select the search bar. In order for them to appear, you need to have Web & App Activity enabled under Data and Privacy settings in your Google Account.

If that does nothing, try troubleshooting the app itself by following the instructions we provided below including clearing local data from the app or uninstalling updates.

1. Check the Web and App activity in Google Account Settings

The first thing you need to look into is the Web and App activity under your Google Account Settings. This option needs to be enabled in order for Recent Searches to appear when you tap on the search bar in the Google app. Also, there’s an option that auto-deletes your search history and you should disable it.

Here’s how to enable (unpause) Web and App activity for your Google Account:

1. Navigate to Google Account Settings or open the Google app > Account (at the top) > Google Account.
2. Select the Data and Privacy tab.
3. After that, select Web & App Activity under History settings, and ensure that it’s enabled.
4. Also, tap on the Google icon under Select and delete activity.
5. Once there, tap Auto-delete and disable this setting if enabled.

2. Enable Personal results in the app

Another thing you should probably enable is Personal results in the Google App settings. By design, you should still see all the recently searched terms and keywords even if you disable Personal results. However, some auto-complete predictions and personal recommendations won’t work if Personal results are not allowed.

Here’s how to enable Personal results in the Google app:

1. Open the Google app and tap on your account at the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Open Personal results.
4. Enable Personal results.

3. Clear app data from the Google app

If you went through the previous two steps but still can’t see recent searches on the Google app, you can try clearing the local data. This won’t delete any search history (everything is cloud-based) and can possibly fix the problem with the app itself. Due to frequent changes and A/B testing, it’s not unusual for the Google app to have issues like these.

Follow these steps to clear the data from the Google app:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Choose Google from the list of available apps.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Select Manage storage.
6. Tap Clear All Data and confirm when prompted.

4. Uninstall updates from the Google app

Finally, we can only suggest uninstalling updates from the Google app. Because this is a system app, you can’t completely remove it. You can restore it to factory values (the oldest available release fitting your Android version). After that, just update the app again and check if the issue persists.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from the Google app:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for Google and expand the Google app from the results.
3. Tap Uninstall and confirm.
4. Once there, you can also leave the Beta program if you enrolled in it previously. The stable version is the way to go in case issues arise.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.