How do I turn off Google Assistant voice?

Google Assistant is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant developed by Google that allows users to interact and get information through voice commands. The Google Assistant has a default voice that responds to users, but some users may wish to turn off or change this voice for various reasons.

Some users simply find the default Google Assistant voice annoying or would prefer a different voice. Others are concerned about privacy, as having the Assistant always listening for voice commands means Google is collecting voice data. There are also situations where voice responses may be distracting or unwanted, like when using Assistant on a shared device or in a quiet public setting. Disabling the Google Assistant voice allows users more control over their experience.

Check Your Google Assistant Settings

To access your Google Assistant settings and modify voice responses, you’ll first need to open the Google Assistant app. There are a couple ways to do this:

On Android devices, you can open the Google app and tap the colorful ‘G’ icon in the bottom corner. This will launch the Google Assistant interface. Alternatively, you can say “Hey Google, open Assistant settings” to open the settings directly.

On iPhones, open the Google Assistant app from your home screen. Tap the Explore icon in the bottom right corner, then choose Settings > Preferences.

You can also open the Google Home app on either Android or iOS. Tap your profile picture in the top right, then choose Assistant settings. From here, you’ll find options to manage various Google Assistant preferences.

According to Alphr, the Google Assistant settings page allows you to control “everything from voice selection to languages, accessibility and even accounts.” This is where you can make changes to mute voice responses from the Assistant.

Mute Voice Responses

The easiest way to turn off the Google Assistant’s voice is to mute its voice responses. You can do this in the Google Assistant settings on your Android or iOS device.

On your phone, open the Google Assistant app and tap on your profile picture in the top right corner. Then go to Settings > Assistant > Voice. Here you will find the “Voice responses” setting. Toggle this off to mute the Google Assistant’s voice.

As noted in the Google support page, this will prevent the Assistant from speaking out loud to reply to your commands. However, other audio responses like chimes and pings may still occur.

Muting voice responses is a quick and straightforward way to turn off the Google Assistant’s voice functionality across your devices. Just toggle “Voice responses” to off in your Assistant settings.

Disable ‘Hey Google’ Activation

One of the easiest ways to turn off the Google Assistant voice is to disable the ‘Hey Google’ voice activation feature. This prevents your device from listening for the ‘Hey Google’ trigger phrase to activate the Assistant.

To disable ‘Hey Google’, follow these steps:

Open the Google app on your Android device.
Tap on ‘More’ (the three line icon) and then ‘Settings’.

Select ‘Voice’ and then ‘Voice Match’.
Toggle the switch next to ‘Hey Google’ to the off position.

With ‘Hey Google’ disabled, you’ll have to manually launch the Assistant instead of just using your voice. This prevents the Assistant from unexpectedly responding with voice replies when you don’t want it to.

Disabling ‘Hey Google’ activation is a quick and simple way to turn off Google Assistant’s voice capabilities if you find it distracting or annoying. Just toggle it back on anytime you want to re-enable the hands-free voice activation.

Use Physical Mute Switch

Many Google Assistant devices, like the Google Home Mini, Nest Hub, and Nest Audio, have physical mute switches. Flipping this switch to the mute position cuts power to the device’s microphones and disables voice input [1]. The switch provides a quick and easy way to temporarily disable Google Assistant voice commands without changing any settings.

You can also use the mute switch on your Android phone or iPhone to disable voice input to Google Assistant temporarily. Just flip the mute switch, and your phone will not respond to “Hey Google” or other voice commands until you turn it off again. This provides a convenient way to quickly mute Google Assistant when you don’t want to be overheard.

Turn Off Specific Devices

You can disable voice responses from Google Assistant on specific devices, while keeping it enabled on others. This allows you to tailor which devices you want to actively listen and respond to voice commands.

To turn off voice on select devices:

Open the Google Home app.

Tap the device you want to disable voice for.
Tap the Settings icon.
Toggle off “Hey Google” voice activation.

This will prevent that specific device from listening to the “Hey Google” wake word and speaking voice responses. However, you can still manually launch Google Assistant by tapping the mic icon.

Follow these steps to customize voice settings across all your connected Google Assistant devices. For more information, see: https://citizenside.com/technology/how-to-turn-off-google-assistant/

Try Do Not Disturb Mode

One way to turn off Google Assistant voice responses for specific periods of time is to use Do Not Disturb mode. This allows you to disable voice interactions during set times, like overnight or during events. To enable Do Not Disturb:

1. Open the Google Home app and go to Settings.

2. Tap on the Do Not Disturb tab.

3. Toggle on Use Do Not Disturb.

4. Set the schedule for when you want Do Not Disturb enabled. This will block any voice responses from Google Assistant during those times.

Do Not Disturb mode is useful if you want to keep Google Assistant active for features like smart home control, while silencing voice interactions at certain times when you don’t want to be disturbed. Just keep in mind that any voice commands will be muted during the scheduled Do Not Disturb hours.

According to this video, Do Not Disturb can also silence phone calls and notifications from the Google Home app. So it’s a comprehensive way to limit distractions and disable Google Assistant’s voice.

Use Voice Match

One way to turn off Google Assistant from responding to unwanted voices is to enable Voice Match. Voice Match allows Google Assistant to recognize and respond to only your voice when you say “Hey Google” or “Ok Google.”

To turn on Voice Match:

Open the Google Assistant app on your Android device or the Home app on iOS.

Tap your profile picture in the top right.
Select Assistant settings.
Tap Voice Match.

Toggle on “Voice Match” to enable it.

Once enabled, Google Assistant will only respond when it detects your voice saying the wake phrases. This prevents it from activating for other people who may say “Hey Google” within earshot of your device. Voice Match uses speaker identification algorithms to analyze and recognize your unique voice [1]. Just remember you’ll have to train Google Assistant to recognize your voice by repeating some phrases aloud.

Disable Accessibility Features

One way to turn off Google Assistant voice is by disabling accessibility features that rely on voice commands. This includes options like “Voice Access” which allows you to control your device using voice commands alone. To disable Voice Access and other accessibility services:

Go to Settings > Accessibility on your Android device. Look for services like Voice Access, Select to Speak, or Switch Access and toggle them off. This prevents Google Assistant from activating when these services are enabled. You may lose access to any accessibility features being used, so only toggle them off if you do not require them.

According to Android Police, disabling accessibility services like Voice Access, which relies on Google Assistant, will turn off the voice function for Google Assistant.

Conclusion

There are several ways to disable or customize the Google Assistant voice on your Android device. The main options covered in this guide include:

Turning off voice responses in the Google Assistant settings
Disabling the “Hey Google” activation phrase
Using your device’s physical mute switch

Turning off Google Assistant on specific devices
Enabling Do Not Disturb mode
Using Voice Match to personalize responses

Disabling Accessibility features related to Google Assistant

While disabling Google Assistant’s voice can limit functionality, there are additional options to customize your experience:

Change Google Assistant’s voice in Settings > Assistant > Assistant voice

Download celebrity guest voices or third party apps
Set up Voice Match profiles to get personalized results

With multiple options to mute, disable, or customize Google Assistant, you can tailor the voice capabilities to suit your needs.