How do I stop Google Assistant from popping up even when I turn off?

Google Assistant is Google’s virtual assistant that can be activated on Android devices in various ways, such as saying “Okay Google” or “Hey Google”, long pressing the home button, or tapping the Google Assistant icon.

Many users have experienced an issue where Google Assistant activates unexpectedly without prompting. This can be frustrating and concerning, as it may feel like your device is listening without your permission. Possible causes range from accidental physical activations, to background app activity triggering it, to device settings needing adjustment.

Confirm It’s Google Assistant

Before trying to fix the issue, it’s important to confirm that it’s actually Google Assistant that’s activating unexpectedly. There are a few ways to check:

Listen for the distinct Google Assistant activation sound. Google Assistant makes a musical chime sound when it activates. If you hear this sound without prompting it, that’s a sign it’s Google Assistant.¹

Check your recent voice interactions in the Google Assistant history page. Open the Google Assistant app and look at the history tab to see if there are unintended activations logged.²

Watch for the Assistant activation animation. There is a pulsing white animation that appears at the bottom of the screen when Google Assistant activates. If you see this without prompting, it’s Google Assistant.³

If you confirm it is Google Assistant activating on its own, you can move on to troubleshooting steps. But if it seems to be a different app or service triggering, you’ll need to investigate further.

Disable ‘Ok Google’ Activation

The most common trigger for Google Assistant is the ‘Ok Google’ hotword activation. When enabled, saying ‘Ok Google’ out loud will launch the Google Assistant on your phone.

To turn off ‘Ok Google’ voice activation:

Open the Google app
Tap your profile icon in the top right corner
Select Settings > Voice > Voice Match

Toggle off ‘Hey Google’ and ‘Voice Match’

This will prevent Google Assistant from being activated by your voice. However, Google Assistant may still be triggered through other methods like tapping on your home button or squeezing your phone if you have an elastic case.

Source: Turn off Google voice control – Google Assistant Community

Disable Tap to Activate

One of the main ways Google Assistant can be accidentally triggered is through the “tap to activate” gesture. On Pixel phones, you can turn this off to prevent Google Assistant from popping up when you tap the corners of the phone screen.

To disable tap to activate on Pixel phones:

Open the Google app.

Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
Select “Settings” > “Google Assistant.”
Toggle off “Tap to activate Assistant on Pixel phones” to disable tap activation.

With tap to activate disabled, you’ll no longer trigger Google Assistant by tapping the corners of your Pixel phone’s screen. This prevents accidental activations just by touching your phone. If you rely on tap to activate for convenience, you can always re-enable it later.

Sources:
https://www.androidpolice.com/how-to-disable-google-assistant/

Check App Permissions

One possible cause of Google Assistant popping up unexpectedly is that you have enabled certain permissions that allow apps to trigger it. Go to your phone’s settings and check the list of permissions for each app. Pay particular attention to permissions like:

Microphone – This allows apps to listen for “Ok Google” or other voice commands.
Location – Location access can let some apps invoke Assistant for location-based features.
Notifications – Some notifications may be set up to trigger Assistant when interacted with.

Carefully review which apps have these permissions enabled. Consider revoking microphone access for apps that don’t need it. You can also disable location access or turn off notifications for apps that don’t require them. Reducing unnecessary permissions can prevent Assistant from being summoned accidentally.

As suggested in the Google support article, check permissions for the Google app itself as well as any other apps that may use Assistant, like Google Maps. Make sure you understand why each app needs the access it has been granted, and remove any unnecessary permissions.

Disable Accessibility Services

Certain accessibility services like Voice Access can inadvertently trigger the Google Assistant when attempting to use voice commands. To prevent this, you can turn off accessibility services you don’t need:

Go to Settings > Accessibility and review the list of enabled services. Disable any services you don’t use regularly, especially any voice control services.

For example, if you have Voice Access enabled but don’t use it, turn it off. According to a Google Issue report, Voice Access can trigger the Assistant when running in the background.

Be careful not to disable any critical accessibility services you rely on. Only disable services specifically known to cause Assistant triggering issues.

After changing your Accessibility settings, check if the unwanted Assistant popping up is resolved.

Disable Bluetooth Trigger

Some Bluetooth devices can activate Google Assistant even when voice activation is disabled. This occurs because the Bluetooth signal acts as a trigger to launch Assistant. To prevent this:

Go to Settings > Connected Devices > Bluetooth. Tap the settings icon next to your Bluetooth device and uncheck “Use for Assistant.” You can also unpair the device entirely if you don’t need to use it.

Additionally, make sure any Bluetooth headsets or headphones you use have Assistant disabled. Open the manufacturer’s app for your Bluetooth device and look for Google Assistant settings. Turn off “Always listening” or “Ok Google” detection.

According to Google’s support page, most Bluetooth devices do not have an option to fully disable Assistant.

Check Notification Settings

One potential cause of Google Assistant randomly popping up is having certain notifications enabled that trigger the Assistant. For example, some headphones like Pixel Buds have Google Assistant integration that can read aloud notifications you receive. If you have notifications for messages, emails, calendar events, etc. enabled with an Assistant action, this could be inadvertently summoning the Assistant.

To check your notification settings, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications. Here you can view and control which apps have permissions to send notifications, including any associated Google Assistant actions. Disable notifications for apps you don’t need alerts from. You can also long-press on a specific app and select “Turn off Assistant shortcuts” to stop the Assistant from being activated by that app’s notifications.

Restricting notification access and disabling unnecessary Assistant actions can prevent Google Assistant from randomly popping up when you don’t want it to.

Factory Reset Phone

Resetting your phone to its default factory settings can help fix issues with Google Assistant activating randomly or unexpectedly. This will erase all data and restore the original software, potentially resolving any bugs or glitches causing the problem.

Before factory resetting, be sure to backup any data you want to keep, such as photos, videos, contacts, etc. You can backup to the cloud or a computer. Then, access your phone’s reset option in Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset).

Resetting your device deletes all accounts, apps, and settings, including Google Assistant preferences. It reverts back to a clean slate, which should stop Google Assistant from triggering erroneously. If the issue persists even after a factory reset, it’s likely a hardware problem.

While inconvenient to set up your phone again, a factory reset can fix pesky issues like unprompted Google Assistant activation. Just be absolutely sure to fully back up your data first.

Contact Google Support

If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting steps but Google Assistant is still activating randomly, you may need to contact Google Support for further assistance. Here are some options for getting help from Google:

Google offers 24/7 web support for Google Assistant issues. You can find troubleshooting tips, submit a help request, start a live chat, or request a callback.

You can also contact Google’s customer support team by phone at 1-855-971-9121. Support specialists are available 24 hours a day to help troubleshoot your issue. Google can also remotely access your device with your permission to help identify the problem.

Another option is to post on the Google Assistant Help Community forum, where Google employees and knowledgeable users may be able to provide guidance.

As a last resort, you can perform a factory reset on your device, which will erase your data and settings and revert to original factory conditions. This should deactivate Google Assistant, but you’ll lose any customizations.