Does Google Use Your Gmail for Ads Now? What Changed and How to Turn It Off

Hey everyone, it's Vic here.

I know we talk about AI 99% of the time, but this one touches something every coach and business owner in the DeskWolf family uses every day: the inbox. Google changed its privacy policy, and if you've connected your Google apps to its AI search features, you should know what that means.

What happened

As of October 16, Google's privacy policy has a new line. Google used to say it wouldn't use your Drive, Gmail or Google Photos content for personalized ads. Now that promise ends with an exception: "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads."

The Verge reported the change on October 23, and Android Authority spotted it first.

In plain English: Google has a feature called Personal Intelligence. It lets AI Mode and other Search tools read your Gmail, Drive or Photos so they can give you more personal answers and recommendations. If you connected those apps, the content may now be used to target the ads you see.

The updated policy puts it this way: "Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads."

Does Google use my Gmail for ads?

Only if you connected it. Under the new Google privacy policy, Gmail ads personalization applies to people who linked Gmail, Drive or Photos to Search through Personal Intelligence.

What doesn't change, according to The Verge:

• Advertisers don't get access to your Gmail, Drive or Photos content.
• They don't get your name or email address.
• Google won't show ads based on sensitive categories like race, sexual orientation, religion or health.

Why it matters to you

If you're a coach, your inbox holds client conversations. If you run an established business, it holds proposals, invoices and vendor threads. None of that is handed to advertisers. Still, whether that content shapes the Google Personal Intelligence ads you see should be a decision you make on purpose, not a default you never noticed.

No panic needed. This is a settings check.

What to do: how to turn off Google Personal Intelligence

1. Open the Search Services Personalization settings page.
2. Check which apps are connected to Personal Intelligence: Gmail, Drive or Photos.
3. Disconnect the ones you don't want used for personalization.
4. Or turn off Personalized Recommendations entirely if you'd rather opt out completely.
5. Tell your team, especially anyone who uses a shared business Google account.

Sources

• The Verge, "Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads," Oct 23, 2026: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1017600/google-personal-intelligence-privacy-policy-ads-update (first spotted by Android Authority)

Stay tuned. We're building out the blog, and we'll keep the useful updates coming.

— Vic