How to disable Google Assistant on your Android phone

How to disable Google Assistant on your Android phone

Google's proprietary voice assistant is installed by default on phones running the Android operating system. The virtual assistant is designed to make using your phone more comfortable and convenient. For example, it can tell you the exact time or answer a question of interest. The Home button is usually used to start the assistant, but on some smartphones another element is responsible for it. Some users find Google Assistant annoying, so they want to get rid of it. Let's find out in detail how to disable Google Assistant on your Android phone.

When and why to remove the voice assistant

The voice assistant is a very good addition because it saves a lot of time. To clarify any information now you do not need to open the browser and enter the request manually. It is enough to run the virtual assistant and say the question of interest. Within seconds, the system will provide a detailed answer, sometimes in both text and voice format.

Despite all the convenience, a huge part of people do want to disable the hated assistant. Each person makes this decision independently, based on the need for the function and the characteristics of the device. You may need to remove the voice assistant if it causes your smartphone to slow down and work slowly.

However, one of the most common reasons why people decide to get rid of the virtual assistant is the constant launching of it unnecessarily. That is, a person accidentally presses a hotkey or a button, after which a window prompting him to say a command is launched. Over time, this becomes annoying, especially if you never use the virtual assistant.

In addition, uninstalling Google Assistant will free up a fairly visible amount of free memory taken up to that point unnecessarily. In general, it is not necessary to completely remove the voice assistant from the phone. The developers have provided an opportunity to partially disable it, which will suit many users.

Turning off some of the functions

If you want to limit the work of the virtual assistant, a reasonable solution would be to turn off some of its functions. That is, formally, the application will be installed on your device, but it will not show any signs of its work and somehow interfere with it.

Buttons and gestures

If you're constantly tapping the button that launches Google Assistant, the following instructions will work fine for you. It boils down to disabling the buttons and gestures that open the voice assistant. To get it right, use the step-by-step guide:

  1. Open the settings.
  2. Go to "Advanced settings" or "Additional parameters". Note that the names of the items depend on the firmware used and the Android version.
  3. Open tab "Buttons and gestures".
  4. Go to subcategory "Launch Google Assistant"and in the window that appears select "No".

How to disable Google Assistant on Android

Now, when you press the key that was previously responsible for starting the helper, no action will occur. It turns out that the button is now free, which means that it can be configured for any other action.

Voice Recognition

To avoid accidentally calling the assistant, we recommend that you disable the voice recognition feature. This will allow you to limit the opening of the assistant when you might say the command "Ok, Google". First of all, go to the Google browser, and then follow the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Go to menu "More" located in the lower right corner of the screen.
  2. Click on the line "Settings".

Disable voice recognition on your smartphone

If everything is done correctly, a tab with the tincture sections should open. If this is the case, move on:

  1. Go to "Voice Input".
  2. Scroll down and go to the subcategory "Voice Match".
  3. Find the line "Access via Voice Match"and move the slider to the left next to it. As a result, the indicator should change its color from blue to gray.

Disable voice input on Android

And to completely disable voice input from Google, we recommend limiting access to the microphone by the corresponding application. To do this, open the smartphone settings, and then follow the following path:

  1. Go to "All applications" or "Installed programs".
  2. Here we find a utility with a simple and clear name Google.
  3. Go to the software page, where you click on the line "Application permissions".
  4. Near the item "Microphone"Move the slider to the right.
  5. The system will send a notification that the selected ban may harm the device. In fact, nothing bad will happen, except for disabling the microphone in the selected program. Therefore, agree and click on the button "Prohibit all the same".

How to disable Google Assistant on a smartphone

To verify that the changes have been saved correctly, try saying the firm command "Okay, Google. Most likely, this action will not cause the assistant and other applications to open. This means that the virtual assistant will no longer bother you in any way.

Desktop search bar

It would seem that all the features are turned off, but something still reminds you of Google Assistant. And yes, it's true. If you look closely at the desktop, you can see the search bar related to the virtual assistant. We recommend removing it to free up extra space on the display. Depending on the Android version this is done differently, so let's start with the instructions for the most current variations of the system. It is suitable for Samsung, Xiaomi, Honor, Huawei phones with Android version 7,8,9 and 10. So, find the search bar on the main screen and follow the instructions of the detailed guide:

  1. Click on the search bar and wait for it to move freely.
  2. The " " icon appears at the top of the screen.Delete"The search bar should be moved to it.

Remove the search bar on the Android home screen

On earlier versions of the operating system, the procedure is slightly different. First go to the settings, and then follow the recommendations in the instructions:

  1. Go to "All applications" or "All programs".
  2. Go to the program page "Google Search" or "Google".
  3. Press the button "Stop".

Desktop search bar

Unfortunately, the second way is imperfect, because after rebooting the phone, the search bar will return to its original place.

Updates

To free up even more free space, we recommend that you turn off automatic Google Assistant updates. There is nothing difficult about it, but it is worthwhile to reassure yourself and read the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Go to settings.
  2. Go to "All applications" or "Application Management".
  3. Open the page with the Google utility.
  4. Here we click on the line "Delete updates" and then select "Ok".
  5. We also recommend that you clear the data by clicking on the appropriate item.

How to remove app updates on Android

As a result of completing all the steps described in this block, it is possible to make the voice assistant completely invisible.

How to completely disable Google Assistant on Android

Up to this point, we have considered general options that only allow you to make the voice assistant invisible. To disable it completely, you need to perform other actions described in the following guide:

  1. Open browser.
  2. Go to menu "More"button on the bottom right corner of the screen.
  3. Go to "Settings".
  4. Click on the line "Google Assistant".
  5. On the page that opens, go to the menu "Assistant".
  6. Scroll down and open the tab "Phone".
  7. Move the slider to the left next to "Google Assistant". As a result, the indicator should change its color from blue to gray.

How to completely disable Google Assistant on Android

This completes completely disabling the voice assistant. However, on some phones you can also uninstall it. This is possible when Google Assistant is installed as a separate application. So, let's not postpone, but move on to the instructions themselves:

  1. Go to settings.
  2. Go to "Applications".
  3. Find the utility "Assistant"and open the page with it.
  4. Here we click on the button "Delete".
  5. Confirm the uninstallation procedure by selecting "Ok".

How to uninstall Google Assistant on Android

Speaking of which, How to uninstall a system application is described in one of our articles. The instructions presented in it are suitable for those phones where Google Assistant is built into the Google browser. All you need is a computer, a cable to connect your smartphone, and a utility ADB Run. There are no root rights or special requirements for the device.

Video tutorial

To summarize, we note that you can disable the Google Assistant on your Android phone using different methods. Each of the methods has been described in detail in this article, so there should not be any problems.