By default, Android smartphones are heavily integrated with Google Assistant. If your phone relies on the classic three-button navigation bar (Back, Home, Recents) rather than gesture navigation, pressing and holding the center Home button for a fraction of a second will instantly summon the Google Assistant, hijacking your screen and waiting for a voice command.
While this is convenient if you frequently use voice commands to set timers or check the weather, it is incredibly frustrating if you frequently trigger the Assistant by accident. A slight delay when attempting to return to your home screen can result in the Assistant suddenly popping up and interrupting your workflow. Furthermore, some users simply do not want a cloud-connected microphone service hovering one long-press away from activation at all times. To guarantee that your Home button only ever takes you to the home screen, regardless of how long you press it, you must completely unbind Google Assistant from the button.
Disabling the Home Button Shortcut via Default Apps
You cannot simply uninstall Google Assistant, as it is deeply baked into the Google Search application. Instead, you must revoke its status as the default “Digital Assistant” app.
- Open the main Settings app on your Android smartphone.
- Scroll down the main menu and tap on Apps (or “Apps & notifications”).
- Tap on Default apps.
- Tap on Digital assistant app (this might also be labelled “Assist & voice input” or “Device assistance app”).
- On the next screen, tap on the text that says Default digital assistant app (do not tap the gear icon next to it, tap the actual text).
- A list of available assistant applications will appear. By default, “Google” will be selected.
- Tap the radio button for None at the absolute top of the list.
The change takes effect immediately. Return to your home screen or open any application. Press and hold your center Home button for as long as you want. Absolutely nothing will happen. The button is now entirely stripped of its secondary function, ensuring you will never accidentally summon Google Assistant again.