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Amazon has silently eliminated a privacy feature that customers relied on for years: the ability to hide, archive, or delete orders from purchase histories. The change, implemented without broad announcement, removes a practical solution for households sharing Amazon accounts—particularly during gift-giving seasons.

The Disappearing Act

Previously, users could right-click any order and select "Archive order" to remove items from their main purchase history view. This prevented accidental spoilers when family members shared accounts. As confirmed by multiple user reports and Reddit threads, Amazon began phasing out this feature in March 2025, with archived orders fully reintegrating into main histories by August 19, 2025.

"I went to hide a present order from my Amazon history since my wife and I share an account... the option wasn't there," reports ZDNET's Artie Beaty, highlighting the real-world impact.

Amazon's Prescribed Workaround

When confronted about the removal, Amazon representatives now universally recommend setting up Amazon Family accounts. This requires:
1. Each household member creating individual Amazon accounts
2. Linking accounts under a single Prime subscription
3. Maintaining entirely separate purchase histories

Pros:
- Isolated order histories
- Preserved gift surprises

Cons:
- Loses centralized purchase visibility
- Complicates returns/management
- Mandates multiple accounts

Technical Implications

This shift signals strategic changes in Amazon's data architecture:
1. Simplified Data Model: Eliminating archive states reduces database complexity
2. Behavioral Nudging: Pushing users toward individualized accounts enables granular data collection
3. Privacy Trade-offs: Users lose control over their purchase visibility within shared environments

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The Bigger Picture

While framed as a holiday inconvenience, this move reflects broader industry trends: platforms increasingly prioritize data utility over user-controlled obscurity. For developers, it's a case study in how feature deprecations can alter user behavior and privacy expectations. Amazon's solution—requiring fragmented accounts—also illustrates how privacy 'solutions' often serve business intelligence goals, converting shared households into distinct data points.

As one ZDNET commenter noted: "Now even my socks are a data point." With no rollback announced, users must choose between surprise preservation and unified account management—a deliberate design constraint with lasting implications for domestic tech ecosystems.

Source: ZDNET