How do I turn off Google Assistant when listening to music?

Many Android users have experienced Google Assistant unexpectedly interrupting their music playback. This can occur when certain background noises or words trigger Google Assistant to activate, pausing the music. Though frustrating, there are ways to prevent Google Assistant from interrupting your music listening experience.

Why Does Google Assistant Interrupt Music?

Google Assistant is designed to listen for certain wake words like “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” in order to know when to activate and respond to voice commands. To do this, Google Assistant needs to constantly listen for these wake words using the device’s microphone, even when you are listening to music or other audio.

According to Google’s support page, Google Assistant uses neural networks and machine learning to analyze audio input to detect wake words. It is trained to identify the user’s unique voice and speaking patterns to activate only for that user when it hears the wake words. This personalized voice detection allows Google Assistant to work hands-free without needing to manually activate it.

The downside is that this constant listening can cause Google Assistant to accidentally activate over music or other sounds that it mistakes for the wake words. This results in the music pausing and Google Assistant interrupting until the voice command is processed. Though inconvenient, this is how Google Assistant’s always-on voice detection functionality is intended to work.

Disable Google Assistant Completely

If you want to completely disable Google Assistant so it never interrupts your music or responds at all, you can turn it off entirely through your device’s settings. Here’s how:

On Android phones, open the Google app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Then go to Settings > Google Assistant > Assistant tab > Turn off Google Assistant. This will disable the “Hey Google” voice activation as well as any physical button triggers (source).

You can also go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Default Apps > Assist & Voice Input, and change the default assistant app to “None.” This will turn off Google Assistant system-wide (source).

On iPhones, open the Google Assistant app, go to Settings > Assistant > Turn off Google Assistant. You can also go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri'” and “Press Home for Siri” to disable voice activation.

Completely turning off Google Assistant will prevent it from interrupting your music or responding unprompted. However, you’ll lose access to any of its features entirely while disabled.

Disable Voice Match

One way to prevent Google Assistant from interrupting your music is to disable Voice Match. Voice Match allows Google Assistant to recognize your voice and provide personalized results (source: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7320960?hl=en). If you disable this feature, Google Assistant will no longer respond when it hears your specific wake words like “Ok Google” or “Hey Google.”

To disable Voice Match, open the Google Home app and go to Settings > Google Assistant > Voice Match. Tap on the toggle next to “Voice Match” to turn it off. You can also individually disable Voice Match for specific devices here. With Voice Match disabled, Google Assistant will only respond to the default wake words set on your device or app.

Disabling Voice Match prevents the assistant from interrupting based on hearing your personal wake words. However, it means losing personalized results and hands-free access when desired. You’ll have to manually activate Google Assistant instead of using your voice.

Disable ‘Hey Google’ Wake Word

One of the most common ways to trigger Google Assistant on your phone or smart speaker is by saying “Hey Google” or “Ok Google.” This wake word activates the voice assistant to start listening and respond to your queries. If you find Google Assistant interrupting your music when you don’t want it to, disabling the “Hey Google” wake word can help.

Unfortunately, there is no setting to change or disable the “Hey Google” wake word on Google Assistant devices. The wake word is hardcoded and cannot be altered or turned off entirely (source: https://www.exceptional.com/homes/home-technology/why-cant-i-change-the-google-home-wake-word/). This means that “Hey Google” will always trigger the voice assistant.

However, there are a couple of workarounds:

• On Android phones, you can disable voice match, which requires Google Assistant to recognize your voice specifically before responding. This prevents it from interrupting when others say “Hey Google.”
• You can also turn on Do Not Disturb mode, which blocks interruptions from notifications and Assistant triggers.
• For Google Home/Nest speakers, you can turn down the sensitivity so it only responds when you speak louder and closer to the device.

While you can’t completely eliminate “Hey Google,” making adjustments like these can cut back on unwanted Google Assistant interruptions.

Use Do Not Disturb

Enabling Do Not Disturb is an easy way to mute Google Assistant voice notifications when listening to music. Do Not Disturb blocks audible notifications, so Google Assistant won’t interrupt your music [1]. To enable this setting:

1. Open the Google Assistant app on your Android phone.
2. Tap your profile picture in the top right.
3. Select Settings > Notifications.
4. Toggle on “Do Not Disturb.”

With Do Not Disturb enabled, you won’t hear spoken notifications from Google Assistant while listening to music. Your phone screen will still light up for notifications, but they will be muted.

Keep in mind Do Not Disturb silences all notifications, not just during music playback. You may miss important alerts if you leave it on all the time. But enabling it temporarily while listening to tunes blocks Google Assistant disruptions.

Adjust Sensitivity

One way to prevent Google Assistant from accidentally interrupting your music is to adjust the sensitivity settings. This controls how easily the Assistant activates from the “Hey Google” wake words. If you lower the sensitivity, it will take more deliberate and louder speaking of the wake words to launch the Assistant.

You can adjust the sensitivity in the Google Home app. Open the app and select your Google Assistant device. Scroll down to the “Hey Google” section and adjust the sensitivity slider towards low/left. This will make it harder for the Assistant to be activated by accident or background noises [1].

Sensitivity can also be adjusted on Android phones. Go to Settings > Google > Account Services > Search, Assistant & Voice > Voice > Voice Match. Adjust the “Hey Google” sensitivity slider to low. This prevents accidental activations when listening to music or conversations around you [2].

Use Physical Mute Button

Another way to prevent Google Assistant from interrupting your music is by using your phone’s physical mute button. Most Android phones have a mute button located on the side of the device that toggles the microphone on and off. When muted, the microphone is unable to pick up the ‘Hey Google’ wake words or any other noises. Here’s how to use this button:

On a Samsung Galaxy device, you’ll find a separate physical button near the volume keys specifically for muting the microphone. Press this once to mute the mic and disable Google Assistant temporarily. The button will light up when muted. Press again to toggle microphone back on.

For other Android phones, pressing and holding the power button will bring up a quick settings menu. Here you can press the mute icon to mute the mic. You can also assign the power button double press or long press to mute if your device supports this customization. Just remember to toggle mute off again when you want to re-enable the microphone.

The physical mute button offers a convenient way to quickly disable Google Assistant interrupting your music playback (source). Just be aware muting the mic disables all voice assistant functionality until manually unmuted again.

Get Noise Cancelling Headphones

One of the most effective ways to prevent Google Assistant from interrupting your music is to get noise cancelling headphones. Noise cancelling headphones use advanced technology to block out ambient background noise. This prevents stray noises and conversations from accidentally activating Google Assistant while you’re wearing the headphones.

There are many excellent noise cancelling headphone options compatible with Google Assistant such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Bose Headphones 700. These headphones allow you to use Google Assistant when you want to by pressing a dedicated button, but prevent it from interrupting your music playback unintentionally.

Investing in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones is one of the most reliable ways to enjoy your music without unpredictable Google Assistant interruptions. With noise cancellation activated, you can rest assured that Google Assistant will only activate when you manually trigger it.

Conclusion

Google Assistant’s voice activation feature can be helpful for some tasks, but it can also accidentally interrupt your music listening. There are a few options you can try to prevent Google Assistant from barging in while you’re enjoying your favorite songs or podcasts.

Completely disabling Google Assistant is the most foolproof option, though it removes Assistant functionality even when you want it. Turning off Voice Match prevents unintentional activation based on your voice profile. You can also disable the “Hey Google” wake word if you don’t use it. Using Do Not Disturb mode blocks notifications that might trigger Assistant. Adjusting sensitivity can make activation less likely for background noises. Using your device’s physical mute switch is another handy option. Noise cancelling headphones can also help block distracting sounds that activate Assistant.

With a combination of these methods, you should be able to keep Google Assistant from interrupting your musical listening. Feel free to experiment to find the right approach based on how you use Assistant and listen to audio on your device. Just remember you have options to limit undesired voice activations.