How to Disable Google Assistant on Android

Google’s coolest voice command feature “Ok Googl” activates voice search on Android phones. Although this “hotword” initiates the fastest search but many users might find it annoying due to its repeated activation. The good news is that “Ok Google” can be turned off on an android device in a few simple steps!

The question that remains is will deactivation of the voice command affect the assistant in any way. The answer to this is no! The only difference will be that instead of saying the command you will be you will launching the assistant by pressing down the home button.

Why Turn Off “Ok Google”

While some might think that the deactivation of the feature doesn’t matter to them, there are others who would want to stay away from this by turning off “Ok Google”. The reasons behind this are many! You might just feel uncomfortable talking to your phone and you might think that it is coming in your way.

Another reason for turning off this voice command is a privacy trade off. Whatever you might be searching through it can be recorded for data exchange in the future. That’s not “Ok Google” as it leaves no privacy. Read on to know more about disabling this application!

Methods to Disable Ok Google

You can turn Ok Google off by following two distinct methods based on the availability of Google Assistant on your device. We will be covering both the methods in the following tutorial.

The first method which can be used in order to toggle off ‘Ok Google’ is as follows.

  • Step 1: Go to the settings tab on your Android device.
  • Step 2: From the list, choose Language and Input> Google voice typing.
  • Step 3: Now choose the option which says “Ok Google Detection

By doing so, you can stop your Android phone from reacting to the “Ok Google” command prompt.  After sometime if you wish to activate the voice command again, you can follow the same steps.

The second method involves the use of the Google application.

  • Step 1: Open the Google App on your Android Device
  • Step 2: Navigate to the three line menu on the left hand side of the app page
  • Step 3: Go to Settings and choose the Voice tab which has ‘Ok Google‘ detection
  • Step 4: Turn Off the ‘From the Google app‘ option

If you still wish to use voice to search despite switching off the “Ok Google” option, then you can do so by clicking on the microphone option located on the search bar. Although it is not the best option when compared to the usage of a hotword, but it still allows you to use voice to search on Google.

Optimize Privacy Of Your Android Device

Ok Google does affect your privacy but it cannot be used to keep an eye on you. It is designed in a way to report whatever you say so that Google can collect data and improve its services. Turning off Ok Google and many other options like GPS, Wi-Fi, 4G and Google Maps Location history when not in use will ensure that there is more safety on your device.