Modern Android smartphones are deeply integrated with Google Assistant. By default, your phone is constantly listening in the background for the specific wake phrase, “Hey Google” (or “OK Google”). While this is incredibly convenient for setting hands-free timers while cooking or checking the weather while driving, many users find it unnerving to have an open microphone constantly monitoring their environment.
Furthermore, the voice activation can occasionally be triggered accidentally by a television commercial or a similar-sounding phrase in conversation, interrupting whatever you were doing. If you want to protect your privacy or simply save a marginal amount of battery life, you can completely disable the persistent background listening feature without completely disabling the assistant itself.
Disabling the Voice Match Feature
The feature that controls the background listening is known internally as “Voice Match”. Disabling it is buried slightly deep within the Google application settings.
- Open the main Settings app on your Android smartphone.
- Scroll down the list and tap on Google (this manages your system-level account settings).
- Scroll down to the bottom of this menu and tap on Settings for Google apps.
- Select Search, Assistant & Voice.
- Tap on Google Assistant to open its specific configuration menu.
- Scroll down the alphabetical list and tap on Hey Google & Voice Match.
- You will see a master toggle switch labelled Hey Google. Tap this switch to turn it off (it will turn from blue to grey).
How to Access the Assistant Afterwards
By turning off the “Hey Google” toggle, you have successfully stopped your phone from actively listening to your conversations in the background.
However, this does not delete the Google Assistant from your phone. If you ever need to ask it a question, you can still summon the assistant manually. Depending on your specific phone model, you can either long-press the physical power button on the side of the device, or swipe diagonally upwards from one of the bottom corners of your screen. The assistant will appear instantly, but it will only start listening after you have manually triggered it.