Sometimes Google Assistant can be a really helpful tool to help you navigate your gadgets and organise your life, but other times it can be a little irritating, so it's good to know how to turn off Google Assistant for these situations.
It's not quite as easy as saying "get lost, Google" either, as the option to disable the voice-activated companion is hidden in layers of menus.
That's why we've create this easy guide, to help you disable Google Assistant in no time at all.
How to turn off Google Assistant
The first thing you need to do to turn of Google Assistant is open the Google app – all Android phones will come with this pre-installed, so you can find it in your app drawer or on a home page. If you're having trouble locating it, you can swipe up or down on the home page, depending on your phone, to find a search bar, which you can use to locate the app.
In the Google app, tap the icon in the bottom right corner that says 'More' with three horizontal dots above it.
In this menu, select 'Settings' which should be one of the last options in the list. In the next menu, select 'Google Assistant'.
Now you're in the Google Assistant options menu – in the top bar, select 'Assistant', then scroll down this list right to the bottom, where you'll find a list of devices your Google Assistant is used on. One of these will be your phone, so select that, unless you're trying to turn off Google Assistant in another device, in which case select that one.
In this menu, the toggle at the top is labelled 'Google Assistant' – this is the big red button you need to press to shut down Google Assistant for your whole device.
Now Google voice Assistant is off, and your phone won't listen to you constantly for the two words "Hey Google". When you open Google Assistant manually, whether it's by holding down the power button, pressing the dedicated button, squeezing your phone, or however else you summon it, you'll be given a search bar to type in your request manually instead.
