Google Assistant can be regarded as the cornerstone of most modern Android smartphones. From task automation and controlling your smart home devices to cracking the odd joke while engaging in a conversation, Google Assistant boasts an extensive skill set and is far more capable than just a voice-search engine. However, if you're not a fan, you can turn it off if you want.

Does my Android phone have Google Assistant?

Many Android models have Google Assistant out of the box, from midrange to top-tier flagship phones. That said, Google Assistant might not be set as your default virtual assistant. For instance, Samsung phones have Bixby — Samsung’s virtual assistant — set as the default, despite Google Assistant also being pre-installed. By default, Bixby can be triggered by holding the power button on your Samsung phone. If you find Bixby getting in your way, you can easily disable Bixby on your Samsung Galaxy phone in a few steps. Alexa, Amazon's assistant, is another viable option, though it needs to be installed manually.

Thankfully, accessing Google Assistant’s settings on your Android phone is also a relatively simple process, as is modifying or disabling it completely. Here is how to get started.

How to access Google Assistant’s settings on your Android phone

1. Open the Google App on your phone.

2. Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.

3. In the following dropdown menu, select Settings, then Google Assistant.

Conveniently, Google Assistant’s menu is split into two sections: Popular Settings and All Settings. From this menu, you can control your interaction with Google Assistant, including how it's triggered on your phone.

By default, Google Assistant is triggered by either using the hot word feature — simply saying “Hey Google" — swiping upward from the bottom right or left corner of your screen, or in the case of phones like the Pixel 7, long pressing the power button. For those with the navigation bar enabled instead of navigation gestures, long press the home button instead of swiping upward from the bottom corners. If you find the hot word feature a bit too intrusive, you can simply turn it off.

How to disable voice commands

Having said that, Google Assistant can be too intrusive at times. Whether you prefer to use another virtual assistant, such as Samsung’s Bixby, or you're accidentally triggering it more often than you’d like, you might want to turn it off.

1. Open the Google App on your phone.

2. Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.

3. In the following dropdown menu, select Settings. Afterward, select Google Assistant.

4. Under the Popular Settings section, select Hey Google & Voice Match​​​​​​.

5. Tap on the Hey Google toggle to disable voice commands.

After disabling the voice commands, you can still trigger Google Assistant by swiping upward from the bottom right or left corners or by long pressing the home button, depending on the selected navigation method.

If you want to enable voice commands in the future, simply follow the same procedure but enable the Hey Google toggle instead.

How to turn off Google Assistant on your Android phone

If you still find Google Assistant getting in your way and wish to disable it completely, you can do just that.

1. Open the Google App on your phone.

2. Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.

3. In the following dropdown menu, select Settings. Afterward, select Google Assistant.

4. Scroll down to reach the All Settings section.

5. Select General.

6. Tap on Google Assistant and toggle to disable it.

If you want to turn it on again in the future, just follow the same procedure. However, in the last step, you should enable the Google Assistant toggle instead.

Disabling Google Assistant on your Android phone

When it comes to digital assistants, very few people will argue how popular Google Assistant has become, given its hugely versatile skill set compared to its contenders, whether it is Samsung’s Bixby, Amazon’s Alexa, or even Apple’s Siri.

Yet there are some arguments to make about disabling Google Assistant on your phone, despite its usefulness, whether it's because you're invested in another incompatible ecosystem or you have privacy concerns. Speaking of which, if you wish to maintain maximum data privacy, you could also disable Google Assistant on all your smart devices along with your Android phone.