Change record
CA-C-001609
Google Terms of Service
Entity
Date detected
May 5, 2026
Effective date
May 5, 2026
Severity
Direction
Positive
Taxonomy
Rights removal
Changes
+3 sentences added · −1 sentence removed · 17 sentences modified

Impact Summary

Medium Positive for users
Affected users
All users

Google updated its Terms of Service on May 5, 2026, with three main changes to warranty and disclaimer language. The company shifted from an 'AS IS' warranty disclaimer to a statement that it provides services using 'reasonable skill and care' and acknowledges that law grants users rights to service quality and remedies for problems. The terms now clarify that the only commitments Google makes are those stated in the warranty section, service-specific terms, and non-waivable law, removing the prior all-caps legal disclaimers. Additionally, the country version changed from United States to Vietnam, and the reference to the Privacy Policy was clarified as not part of the terms themselves.

1 new obligation 1 protection removed

Consumers: Google now says it will use reasonable skill and care when providing services, and if it doesn't, you can tell them and they will try to fix it.

Consumers: Google no longer uses broad legal disclaimers stating the services are provided entirely without warranties.

Stay ahead of the changes
Track Google and get the diff the day its terms change.
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF

What this means for you

The updated terms state that Google provides services using 'reasonable skill and care' rather than disclaiming warranties entirely under 'as is' language. Previously, the terms disclaimed all warranties except those explicitly stated in service-specific terms. The revised language now acknowledges that both law and the terms give users rights to a certain quality of service and ways to fix problems if things go wrong. The terms establish a process in which users are expected to notify Google if service quality falls short, and Google commits to working with users to resolve the issue. This represents a shift from a liability-limiting warranty structure to one that acknowledges affirmative quality obligations.

What you can do

Review the updated warranty section to understand what 'reasonable skill and care' means for services you rely on.

If you experience service quality issues, document them and report to Google as the updated terms expect you to notify the company of problems.

Historical Context

This is the 2nd significant Rights Removal change Google has made since ConductAtlas began monitoring.

ConductAtlas has recorded 2 material changes to this document (since April 2026). An additional minor or cosmetic changes were excluded.

Key Clauses Affected

Warranty clause

Shifted from 'as is' disclaimer to affirmative commitment to provide services with reasonable skill and care.

Disclaimers section

Clarified that only commitments in the warranty section, service-specific terms, and non-waivable law create obligations; removed broad 'as is' and exclusionary language.

Service quality and remedies

New language acknowledges that law and terms give users rights to service quality and ways to fix problems; establishes expectation that users will notify Google of issues.

Full clause-by-clause analysis available with Insight.

This change record describes what was added, removed, or modified in the document. Analysis reflects what the updated agreement states or permits. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology

Evidence Verification

✓ Verified
Previous Version
b238e4e7e3f08ce81e7afbbf493ea94d898a92fdc6ab10618262de154a146444
April 19, 2026 06:03 UTC
✓ Verified
Current Version
590222e727608c2205313b8810bee865d66f16eb9dd6e9895c012d00ce9322e4
May 5, 2026 08:00 UTC
✓ Verified
Change Detected
May 5, 2026 08:00 UTC
Analysis Methodology
✓ Verified
Source Document
https://policies.google.com/terms
Citation Record
Entity: Google
Document: Google Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-C-001609
Captured: 2026-05-05 08:00:19 UTC
URL: https://conductatlas.com/change/2026-05-05-google-google-terms-of-service-1609/
Accessed: Sept. 10, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
For legal and compliance teams

Institutional Analysis

Assessment

Google's warranty section was substantially rewritten to replace absolute 'as is' disclaimers with a 'reasonable skill and care' standard and acknowledgment of user rights to service quality and problem remedies. This change moves away from …

🔒 Full institutional analysis

Regulatory exposure, obligation change, escalation trigger, board-ready language, and recommended action for legal and compliance teams.

Unlock the full institutional analysis — Insight

ConductAtlas provides verified policy intelligence sourced directly from platform documents. All analysis is intended to support, not replace, legal and compliance review. Record CA-C-001609.

Full Changes

View complete diff →

Document Context

Version history → Policy drift analysis → Document page →
Document
Google Terms of Service
Entity
Google
Captured
May 5, 2026
Source URL
https://policies.google.com/terms
Other changes to Google Terms of Service
Previous change Apr 19, 2026
Google updated its Terms of Service on April 19, 2026, making several material changes to warranty disclaimers, scope of applicability, …
Medium Negative
Next change Jun 12, 2026
Google updated its Terms of Service on June 12, 2026, making several changes to warranty disclaimers, liability limitations, and content …
High Negative
View full version history →
More from Google
Aug 4, 2026 Low
Google Terms of Service

The detected change on August 4, 2026 appears to involve navigation menu restructuring and duplicate link removal in the Google …

Jul 31, 2026 Low
Google Terms of Service

Google's Terms of Service became effective July 30, 2026, with several operational revisions. The updated terms add disclosure about automatic …

Jul 30, 2026 Low
Google Privacy Policy

The detected change on July 30, 2026 involved reorganization of navigational elements and menu structure within Google's Privacy Policy document. …

Related Analysis
Dependency Governance · May 27, 2026
Zero-Click Governance: What Google's AI Search Transition Means for Traffic-Dependent Businesses

AI Mode, AI Overviews, and embedded advertising are shifting search from referral infrastructure toward platform-contained answers.

Privacy · May 5, 2026
Chrome Installed 4GB of On-Device AI. What Google's Policies Authorize.

Google deployed Gemini Nano through Chrome updates, enabling on-device AI features for some users — often without clear user awareness or e…

Privacy · April 16, 2026
What Google Actually Knows About You

Google's Privacy Policy covers Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and every site running Google Analytics. Here is what it actually authorizes.

Get the research letter

Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.

Stay ahead of the changes

Track Google policy changes

Get alerted when this policy changes again, including what changed and why it matters.

All Google changes →