The Unwanted Integration
Google Docs is increasingly integrating with the broader Google Workspace ecosystem through “Smart Chips.” If you type a sequence of numbers that resembles a standard phone format (e.g., 1-800-555-0199) and hit the spacebar, Docs might automatically format it. It may turn the number into a clickable link, or worse, replace it entirely with a visual “Smart Chip” that prompts you to make a video call via Google Meet or a voice call via Google Voice when you hover over it. If you are just typing a list of dummy data, writing a script, or formatting a printed directory, these interactive chips are completely inappropriate.
Disabling Smart Number Recognition
To keep your text plain and stop Google Docs from automatically formatting phone numbers into interactive links or Smart Chips, you must disable the specific auto-detection setting.
Open your Google Doc. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Tools. From the drop-down list, select Preferences. A new dialogue box will appear. Ensure you are on the General tab. Look for the checkbox explicitly labelled Automatically detect links (Google bundles phone number recognition under general link detection). Uncheck this box to disable the feature. Click the blue OK button. From now on, when you type a phone number, it will remain as standard, plain text. For existing numbers that have already been converted to Smart Chips, you must click on the chip and select “Remove link” or “Remove chip” from the pop-up widget.