How to delete Google Play Store history [Download/ Searches]

Learning how to delete Google Play Store history can make a world of difference for older phones. We all know that the Google Play Store is one of the most essential apps on an Android phone. As one of the best places to get Android apps without resorting to APK files, your Play Store app can have a long list of search suggestions and accumulated history. This buildup slows down the app and, for older phones, can cause it to crash or stop working. So if you want to avoid slowdown of this app, here is how to delete Google Play Store history on your Android phones!

Related: Top 10 Google Play Store Alternatives for Huawei Phones

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Can you delete Google Play app history?

So before we teach you how to delete Play Store history, can you really delete it? The simple answer is yes – you can delete your Google Play Store history. Just like freeing up space on your Android devices, you can also do the same with your Google Play Store app.

Just like other apps, you can decide what things you want to remove. Since the Google Play Store app also works as an app manager, there are two main “histories” you can delete. One process deletes only your download and search history. This step does not uninstall apps on your Android phone and keeps them as they are.

Meanwhile, the other option allows you to choose previously downloaded apps to delete your app download history. This step removes the chosen apps from your phone as if you had uninstalled them using the Android Settings app. The chosen apps will have all their data and caches removed along with the app itself. Apps removed from the Google Play Store can be re-downloaded and reinstalled after they have been removed from the Google Play Store Downloaded Apps history.

Related: How to View Recently Deleted Apps on Android and iOS

Why would you want to delete play store history?

However, why would you want to delete your Google Play Store history? As we said earlier, it makes the app run faster and prevents crashes. Clearing search history and other data from your apps is just one of the basic things you can do to prevent Android apps from crashing. Apart from that, deleting your play store search history also has some benefits for your personal privacy by clearing your search history and suggestions.

On the other hand, clearing the download history of the Google Play Store app will be the same as deleting or uninstalling old apps. While this may not remove bloatware, it will give your phone more storage space if you have a lot of unused apps. Before attempting any of the steps, make sure you are using your correct default Google account to avoid losing important information.

How to delete search history in Play Store

Since you now know why you might want to do this, let’s talk about how to actually delete play store history! This section will explain how to delete your search history in the Google Play Store app. This guide was made with a Vivo phone running Android 12 and Google Play Store version 32.0.20-21, so there may be slight differences when repeating these steps on your Android phone. To delete your search history in the Google Play Store app, do the following:

1. Launch the Google Play Store app and sign in to your account.
2. Click on your account icon at the top right to open the pop-up menu.
3. Select Settings and wait for it to load. Click on the General to open the dropdown selection and press Account and device preferences.
4. Scroll down and find the History subsection. Click on the Clear device search history and confirm your selection in the pop-up window to completely delete the Google Play Store app.
5. Wait for the process to finish, or until the Deleted search history a popup appears.

Congratulations! You have learned how to delete your Google Play Store search history!

How to delete app download history in Play Store

Now that we are done teaching how to delete search history on the Google Play Store, here is our guide on how to delete your app history. To delete app history from Play Store, please do the following:

1. Launch the Google Play Store app and sign in to your account.
2. Click on your account icon at the top right to open the pop-up menu.
3. Select Manage apps and devices and wait for it to load.
4. press the Manage tab to view installed applications. Look at the list of apps and click the checkbox next to the apps you want to remove. Remember that not all installed apps can be removed as some may be essential for your phone.
5. Click the small trash can icon at the top right of the screen to uninstall the selected apps. Accept your choice by confirming in the pop-up window.
6. Wait for the app to uninstall.

Congratulations! You have learned how to delete Google Play Store app download history!

How to remove previously installed apps from play store history?

You may have already uninstalled an unwanted app from your phone, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. After uninstalling an app, a residue remains in the Play Store history and consumes a small amount of memory. That said, they can build up over time and cause cache issues on your device. So, here’s how to remove uninstalled apps from your Google Play Store account.

1. On the Google Play Store home page, click your account profile and select Manage apps and devices.
2. switch to the Manage tab to view the apps currently installed on your device.
3. Click the dropdown arrow below installed and change to uninstalled. This will show all previously installed apps on your device that have already been removed.
4. Check the previously installed apps you want to remove from your account.
5. Click on the trash can icon and confirm the removal of the apps.

FAQ on How to Clear Play Store Library

Before we go, here are some important FAQs and our answers when learning how to delete play store history.

Whats Next?

Hopefully, this short guide has taught you how to delete history on Google Play and the difference between search and app download histories. This article has been part of our ongoing coverage of the Google Play Store and related apps. Other articles in this coverage include instructions on how to change the Google Play Store country settings and a guide to fix it when Google Play Services stops working.