Google is still testing its offensive page annotation feature in the Google iOS app still, but the good news is that the opt out feature does indeed work. Yes, it takes about a month, but if you opt out, Google will stop showing page annotations on your web pages.
As a reminder, this feature will take over your web pages, take your content, inject links in them to go to a Google Search result page tab. Yes, your site visitor is on your website, and then Google is trying to take them off to its search results.
Google said you can use this Google form to opt out of page annotations and within 30 days after you submitting this form, the feature won't work on your pages.
Glenn Gabe tested it and reported on X that it worked within about 3.5 weeks - so just under a month.
Glenn wrote, "The opt-out form does work! -> A quick update about Google's Page Annotations test (where Google is injecting links into publisher content via the Google Search App). About 3.5 weeks after opting out via Google's form, my site is finally NOT showing annotations."
Here is his post:
The opt-out form does work! -> A quick update about Google's Page Annotations test (where Google is injecting links into publisher content via the Google Search App). About 3.5 weeks after opting out via Google's form, my site is finally NOT showing annotations.
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 22, 2025
Big thanks to… pic.twitter.com/egBxPaeVn3
Here is what the Page Annotation feature looks like:
I made a video on this feature also:
So if you hate it, which I suspect almost every publisher does, then opt out. Why give Google your traffic.
Forum discussion at X.
