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My Android Gaming Profile is Changing Soon: How Do I Protect My Data?
If you enjoy playing games on your Android phone, you should know about a big change coming soon. Google is updating its Play Games profiles, which will affect how your gaming information is handled. This update will bring new features but also means Google will gather more data about how you play.
Starting September 23, 2025, these new, enhanced gaming profiles will be introduced to players around the world. For gamers in the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, this change will happen a week later, on October 1, 2025. This update applies to everyone who has a Google Play account, even those who only play on a PC.
Google says this update will add a “suite of new features”. The goal is to create a more social and connected gaming world for Android users. These changes sound a lot like the profiles you see on other gaming platforms, such as Steam, where players can share their progress and connect with others.
What’s New with Your Gaming Profile?
The main idea behind the update is to give you a place to show off your gaming skills and connect with a larger community. Your new profile will act like a personal gaming hub.
Track Your Success
The updated profiles will automatically display your gaming statistics and important milestones you achieve in the games you play. This includes things like achievements you’ve unlocked and your progress in different games.
Build a Community
Google is adding new social features to help you build your gaming circle. You will have the option to make your profile public, allowing other players to see your stats and activity, or you can keep it more private.
To make these new features work, Google will need to collect more information about your gaming habits. The company has been clear that this data collection is necessary to power the new profile services and to improve the overall gaming experience on Google Play.
What Data Will Google Collect?
When the new profiles go live, Google will begin gathering specific details about your activity. It’s important to understand what information will be collected so you can make informed decisions about your privacy. Google says it needs this data to provide the new features and services, like tracking your stats and progress.
Here is a breakdown of the information Google may collect:
- Your Game Library: The enhanced system will know which games from the Google Play store you have installed on your devices.
- Your Playtime: It will track when you play your games and for how long each session lasts.
- In-Game Activity: For certain games, developers can share information with Google. This may include your saved game progress, achievements you have earned, or your rankings on leaderboards.
- Past Data: You will have a one-time choice to bring your past gaming data into the new profile, which helps create a more complete picture of your gaming history.
While Google explains this data will be used to improve your experience, it has not mentioned whether this information will be used for advertisements. This lack of clarity is something to keep in mind.
Your Privacy Settings Are in Your Control
A major concern with any data collection is privacy. The good news is that Google has stated this update will not automatically change your existing privacy settings. If your profile is currently set to private, it will stay private after the change happens. You will not have to worry about your gaming habits suddenly becoming public without your permission.
You can check or change your privacy settings at any time. The options allow you to decide who gets to see your gaming profile and activity.
You can usually find these settings by following these steps on your Android device:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on Google.
- Select Settings for Google apps.
- Choose Play Games.
- Tap on Profile and privacy.
Inside these settings, you will find three main choices for who can see your profile :
- Everyone on Google Play Mobile App: This makes your profile public.
- Friends only: This limits visibility to people you have added as friends.
- Only you: This keeps your profile completely private.
Can You Opt Out of the Changes?
Many users may wonder if they can simply opt out of this new system. According to the information released, there is no direct way to opt out of the data collection if you continue to use your Google Play Games profile. The data gathering is presented as an essential part of the new profile features.
However, you are not without options. If you are uncomfortable with these changes, you can choose to delete your Play Games profile entirely. It is important to know that you can still download and play games from the Play Store without having a Play Games profile. Deleting your profile will remove your gaming data associated with it, but it will also mean you cannot use features like achievements or saved game progress that rely on the service. For those who want to take a more drastic step, Google also reminds users that they can delete their entire Google Account, though this would affect all associated services like Gmail and Photos.