Google Assistant is Google’s very own smart voice assistant for mobile and home automation devices. It uses two-way communication and the power of AI to answer your queries in real-time and help you execute a wide range of operations.

turning off google assistant on android phone

However, despite being such an invaluable tool on Android, Google Assistant can sometimes be a bit intrusive. It may trigger while you’re talking to someone or have the TV or music playing in the background, which can be a real annoyance and leaves you with no other option but to disable Google Assistant on your Android phone (or tablet).

Here’s a guide with instructions to turn off Google Assistant on Android and stop it from popping up automatically.

What’s the Best Way to Stop Google Assistant from Popping Up Automatically

Depending on whether Google Assistant keeps popping up on your Android when its trigger phrases—”Ok Google” and “Hey Google”—are called out, or it just shows up randomly, there are two ways to stop Google Assistant from popping up randomly.

One, you can turn off Google Assistant completely. And two, disable the “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” command inside Google Assistant settings.

How to Disable the Google Assistant Trigger on an Android Phone

If you use Google Assistant for various tasks regularly, turning off the trigger option might be a better option. Follow these steps to do this on your Android:

  1. Open the Google app on your Android phone.
  2. Click on the profile icon in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
  3. Select Google Assistant from the Settings page.
  4. On your profile page, select Hey Google & Voice Match.
  5. Toggle off the button for Hey Google (on Pixel phones) or Ok Google (on other Android phones).

Once the Google Assistant trigger is disabled, speaking “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” in front of your Android phone won’t trigger Google Assistant and, most likely, prevent it from popping up automatically.

How to Turn Off Google Assistant on an Android Phone

If you don’t use Google Assistant much or disabling its trigger isn’t fixing the problem, you can completely turn off Google Assistant on your Android phone and forget about it. Here’s how:

  1. Open the Google app.
  2. Tap on your profile icon in the top-right and select Settings.
  3. Choose Google Assistant on the Settings page.
  4. Scroll down and click on General.
  5. Flip the switch for Google Assistant off and click on the TURN OFF button to confirm disabling Google Assistant.

Since you’ve disabled Google Assistant completely, it won’t pop up automatically on your device anymore. Repeat these steps if you change your mind and decide to activate it again.

Stop Being Bothered By Random Google Assistant Pop-Ups

Disabling Google Assistant’s trigger is probably the best way to fix Google Assistant from popping up randomly on your device. It tells Google Assistant to stop listening to the trigger while still allowing you to continue using Google Assistant and your device without interruptions. However, at times when it doesn’t work—or isn’t available—turning off Google Assistant also does the job.

Likewise, if you’re not a fan of voice commands and use it infrequently, you can turn off Google Assistant to stop being bothered by random overlays. Or if you don’t like Google listening to your conversations.

FAQs on Turning Off Google Assistant

In order to turn off Google Assistant on headphones, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Google app on your phone.
  2. Click on your profile picture and tap on Settings.
  3. Here, tap on Google Assistant.
  4. Scroll down and tap on Devices.
  5. Tap on Wired headphones.
  6. Disable the Get help from Google option.

If you have problems turning off Google Assistant, try following these steps to disable it:

1. On your phone or tablet, say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" to invoke the Assistant.
2. Tap More Settings on the top right.
3. Under "Devices," select your phone or tablet.
4. Tap on Google Assistant and turn “Ok Google” detection off.

If you are wondering why Google Assistant keeps popping up, it's because it has been designed to behave that way. But you can disable it completely by going to Settings > Apps and Notifications > Default apps. Here, tap on Assist and Voice input. Then click on the Default assistant app. Select None. Now pop-ups should go away.

The steps to disable Google Assistant on Samsung is pretty much like on any other Android device.

  1. Open the Google app.
  2. Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Tap on Google Assistant.
  5. Tap on General.
  6. Toggle the slider next to Google Assistant, and you're done.

While Google Assistant is baked heavily into the Android operating system and enabled by default, turning it off won't cause any issue other than completely revoking your access to Assistant's features. It might continue to prompt you to switch it back on, but you can ignore it.

You can disable Google Assistant on Android TV by going to Settings > Advanced Settings > Apps > System Apps > Google. Here, click on Permissions and disable the Microphone function. This isn't as simple as disabling on phone, but it still works to an extent.

Further Reading:

Was this article helpful?
YesNo