Why Do People Want to Disable Google Assistant?
When the world saw Google unveil its own AI assistant, impressive didn’t even begin to describe it.
At first, it was seen as a mere alternative to Siri, but Google quickly built upon its assistant and proved that it was more than just an assistant.
Eventually, Google Assistant was also made a part of Google Home (their smart home system, another impressive project).
We now arrive at a time where phrases like “Alexa, play…“, “Hey Siri…“, and most importantly, “Hey Google…” are understood by everyone.
These AI assistants aren’t always perfect and can even be annoying, pushing some users to learn how to turn off Google Assistant or turn off OK Google.
Why Does Google Assistant Randomly Turn On?
This is the big question we have: what makes Google Assistant randomly respond to us? Firstly, let’s think about how the app actually works.
For instance, you open the application, and you say something along the lines of “Ok Google, remind me to…” and the assistant completes the task. Without getting too technical, the app analyses the things you tell it.
It takes your voice, turns it into a format it can understand (e.g., voice waves), and uses this to recognize your instructions. The most important about this process is voice recognition.
Everything you say goes through the assistant’s recognition system and translates your voice into an instruction it can read. Just like humans don’t always hear things correctly, neither does Google Assistant.
As a result, you could be talking to a friend while reading texts on your phone, and the Google Assistant mishears something you say and interprets it as “Ok Google…“.
Consequently, this activates the assistant and can be disruptive. If that happens frequently, you might want to disable Google Assistant temporarily.
Another example will be if you have Google Assistant in a smart home. Since these devices don’t require you to open the app and work by simply listening for phrases like “Hey Google” and “Ok Google,” it’s much more common for them to activate accidentally.
Depending on your settings, there may even be times when it activates while the smartphone is in your pocket.
Different Methods for Turning Off Google Assistant on Android Phone
Now that you have an idea of why users want to turn off Ok Google, you might realize it’s in your best interests to turn it off too.
From our experience, there is never one solution that gets perfect results; rather, a trial-and-error approach is the best direction to take things.
So, to guide you through disabling the assistant, here are the solutions we believe are the most effective.
How to Disable Google Assistant
To start with, we’ll look at how to turn off Google Assistant altogether. Doing this will basically turn off the assistant, making it not function at all.
- #1 – Launch the Google application.
- #2 – Tap on the menu icon (3 straight lines).
- #3 – Select “Settings” and swipe down to select “Phone.”
- #4 – Locate “Google Assistant” and tap the slider to disable it.
If you do this and turn Google Assistant off, enabling it again is easy. Just follow these steps again but tap the slider so it’s blue, and you’re good to go! As a reminder, this disables every aspect of Google Assistant.
By the way, if you are bothered with Touch Input Blocked, click to fix them now.
How to Disable the Support Button
Instead of disabling the whole thing, there’s a way to disable Google Assistant’s support button.
What this does is, basically, if you have been accidentally using Google Assistant from the start button, disabling this setting reduces the risk of that happening.
Compared to the first method, this has the benefit of letting you still use the app.
- #1 – Open the Settings app and scroll down to “Applications.”
- #2 – Tap on “Default applications” and choose the “Device assistant app.”
- #3 – Switch the setting for the app that opens when the start button is pressed. Anything other than Google is fine, but the likely option is to use no app.
You might find this setting under accessibility, as it differs for some devices. This change will stop Google from opening anytime you press the start button.
Just like before, if you want to reenable this, just go back to the same menu page. Switch back the setting so that the start button opens Google whenever you press it.
How to Downgrade Google App
Last, if you only recently started to experience problems with Google Assistant, the most recent app version could be the problem.
Your first instinct may be to uninstall the app, but Android actually lets you uninstall updates. This feature is useful for this exact situation, and here’s how to do it.
- #1 – Open the Settings application.
- #2 – Make your way to “Applications > Application Manager.”
- #3 – Swipe down the list to locate and tap the “Google” app.
- #4 – At the top of your screen, tap the three dots, and select “Uninstall updates.”
- #5 – Wait a moment until the process is complete, and open the Google app to confirm the downgrade.
After that, you will have to wait for a few days so that you can check whether or not the persistent problem is fixed. Doing this won’t turn off Ok Google, but it will help you determine where the issue lies.
Instead of assuming that the device is faulty, the microphone doesn’t work properly, or the Android OS is broken, it might just be that the latest Google app has a bug.
By the way, if you are facing issues like Google Play Store Downloading Pending, click to read more.
Turning Off Google Assistant on iOS Devices
- Launch the Google Assistant app on your iOS device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select “Assistant settings” from the menu.
- Tap on “Assistant” and then choose “Phone.”
- Toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Disabling Google Assistant on Google Home Speakers
- Open the Google Home app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap on the device you want to disable Google Assistant on.
- Tap on the gear icon to access the device settings.
- Scroll down and select “Digital Assistant.”
- Toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Turning Off Google Assistant on Smart Displays
- Swipe down from the top of the screen on your smart display.
- Tap on the gear icon to access the settings.
- Select “Assistant” and then choose “Assistant devices.”
- Tap on the device you want to disable Google Assistant on.
- Toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Disabling Google Assistant on Chromebook
- Click on the clock in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Select the gear icon to open the settings.
- Scroll down and click on “Search and Assistant.”
- Under “Assistant,” toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Turning Off Google Assistant on Windows and Mac
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
- Click on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Scroll down and click on “Advanced.”
- Under “Privacy and security,” click on “Content settings.”
- Scroll down and click on “Google Assistant.”
- Toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Disabling Google Assistant on Wear OS Devices
- Swipe down from the top of the screen on your Wear OS device.
- Tap on the gear icon to access the settings.
- Scroll down and select “System” or “Device.”
- Tap on “Google Assistant.”
- Toggle off the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
Turning Off Google Assistant on Smart TVs
- Open the settings menu on your smart TV.
- Navigate to the “Google Assistant” or “Voice” section.
- Disable the “Google Assistant” or “Voice” feature.
Tips for Changing Google Assistant Settings
Even though you should have, by now, been able to disable Google Assistant, a few settings changes can minimize future problems.
Since people were always fond of voice recognition when driving, you might not want to disable the app.
Driving and using a mobile phone isn’t just dangerous and illegal in most countries.
But at the same time, there can be situations that need urgent attention. Keeping this in mind, here’s a quick tip for drivers.
- #1 – Open the Settings app and tap “Apps.”
- #2 – Tap the menu icon at the top and select “Default apps.”
- #3 – Tap “Device assistance app” and press the cog icon next to it.
- #4 – Here, you will see a range of accessibility settings that you can adjust freely.
Of all the settings you see here, an important one would be “Access with Voice Match.” In this scenario, you would want to disable this setting.
However, once you disable it, you can enable the “While driving” option instead.
As a result of changing these settings, Google Assistant won’t respond to voice recognition anymore. But when you are driving and can’t pick up your phone, it will automatically enable voice recognition.
So, the app won’t respond like normal, and it would appear to be disabled for the majority of the time. As soon as you get in your car and start driving, you can respond to texts, make calls, set reminders, and do everything else you’d usually do with Google Assistant.
FAQs
- Can I disable Google Assistant on my Android phone without uninstalling the Google app? Yes, you can disable Google Assistant on your Android phone without uninstalling the Google app by following the steps mentioned in this article.
- Will disabling Google Assistant affect other Google services on my device? No, disabling Google Assistant will only turn off the virtual assistant functionalities. Other Google services will continue to work normally.
- Can I re-enable Google Assistant after turning it off? Yes, you can re-enable Google Assistant by following the same steps mentioned in this article and toggling on the switch next to “Google Assistant.”
- Will turning off Google Assistant improve my device’s battery life? While turning off Google Assistant may slightly improve battery life by reducing background processes, the impact on battery life is usually minimal.
- Is it possible to disable Google Assistant permanently? Yes, you can disable Google Assistant permanently by following the instructions specific to your device or platform. However, keep in mind that you may lose access to certain features and functionalities.
Conclusion
Google Assistant is a powerful virtual assistant, but there are times when you may want to disable it. Whether you want a break from voice commands or have privacy concerns, you can easily turn off Google Assistant on various devices and platforms. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can regain control over your device’s assistant functionalities.
