I have a small problem with Google Assistant: I sometimes invoke it by accident. Whether the phone sometimes interprets that I’ve pressed the button for more seconds than I actually did, or because it activates by mistake with wireless headphones, I end up disabling Google Assistant every time I start using a new Android device.
If you’re also someone who doesn’t use this Google technology and prefers to keep the Assistant disabled, in this article we’ll show you the steps so you don’t have to deal with it ever again.
Here’s how to disable Google Assistant so it won’t bother you anymore
First, open the Google app (note, don’t confuse it with Chrome or any other app from the company).
Once open, tap on your profile picture to reveal several options.
Now scroll down to find the Settings option.
Tap Google Assistant to enter its settings.
On the next screen, scroll almost to the end of the list of options to find General.
Inside General, you’ll see an option to turn off Google Assistant. Tap the switch to disable it.
Finally, a pop-up will appear to confirm disabling Google Assistant. Tap TURN OFF and you’re all set.
From then on, you will no longer be able to invoke Google Assistant or use its various features.
Another method to disable it on Android
There is another way to get rid of Google Assistant so it won’t respond to the ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Ok Google’ commands, although depending on the Android device you’re using, the steps will vary slightly. We’ll illustrate it using a Pixel device with stock Android, without any customization layer.
Go into the Settings of your Android phone or tablet.
Inside Settings, find a section called Apps & notifications or similar.
In this section, you’ll need to find something like Default apps (it’s likely located within an advanced options group).
Inside Default apps, you’ll see the apps that open for different types of files or services. The one we care about, in this case, is Digital Assistant.
Digital Assistant will again have a list of options, but we’ll tap Default digital assistant to disable Google’s.
Now all that’s left is to choose None.
You can now close Settings and return to your phone or tablet’s main menu. From now on, it won’t respond to voice commands or when you long-press the device’s home button.
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