How do you stop the Android assistant from talking?

Android devices include built-in virtual assistant features like Google Assistant that allow users to control their phones with voice commands. Handy as this can be, some users may wish to limit or disable the assistant’s speech capabilities at times, whether for privacy, reducing distractions, or other reasons.

This guide will provide an overview of the main ways to stop an Android assistant from talking. We’ll cover muting notifications, turning off voice output, using do not disturb modes, and disabling voice match. With so many options, you’re sure to find a method that suits your needs and preferences.

Check App Permissions

To disable the Android assistant from accessing your microphone, you can adjust the app permissions in your device’s settings. According to google.com, you can check and change microphone access by going to Settings > Apps & Notifications > See all [number] apps. From there, find the app you want to restrict such as the Google Assistant. Tap on the app and select Permissions to view and toggle access to the microphone.

Setting microphone access to “Deny” for assistant apps like Google Assistant or Bixby will prevent them from listening and speaking unless you manually launch the app. This gives you more control over when the assistant can use the microphone. Just be aware that denying microphone access may limit functionality of certain apps that rely on voice input.

Mute Notifications

You can mute notifications from the Google Assistant app to stop it from speaking out loud when notifications come in. Here’s how to mute notifications on Android:

1. Open the Google app and tap “More” in the bottom right.
2. Select “Settings” then “Google Assistant”.
3. Tap “You” and then “Assistant devices”.
4. Select “Mobile” and scroll down to “Spoken notifications”.
5. Toggle off “Spoken notifications” to mute notifications.^[1]

This will prevent the Assistant from reading out notifications from your phone. You can toggle it back on anytime to resume spoken notifications.

Disable Always-On Voice

Some Android devices have an always-on voice detection setting that allows Google Assistant to launch even when you aren’t actively engaging with it. This means the Assistant can accidentally launch and talk at unwanted times. To disable this:

Open the Google app and tap your profile picture. Select “Settings” then “Voice” and toggle off “Always-on voice detection.” You can also say “Hey Google, turn off always-on voice detection.” This will prevent the Assistant from listening for its wake word when the phone or tablet is idle (Source: https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9134021?hl=en).

By disabling always-on voice, you’ll have to manually launch the Assistant to use it. This gives you more control over when it can listen and speak.

Stop Automatic Launches

The Google Assistant can launch automatically in response to certain triggers like squeezing or long-pressing the home button, picking up your phone when it’s face down, or saying “Hey Google.”

To prevent the Assistant from automatically launching:

• Open the Google app and tap your profile icon.
• Go to Settings > Google Assistant.
• Turn off options like “Voice Match,” “Hey Google & Voice Match,” and “Wake screen when you say Hey Google.”
• You can also go into Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > Default Apps > Assist App and change it from Google to None.

On Samsung devices, open Bixby and go to Settings > Voice Wake-up to disable it.

Disabling these triggers will prevent the Assistant from automatically launching and speaking when you don’t intend it to.

Turn Off Speech Output

One of the easiest ways to stop the Android assistant from talking is to disable speech output. Here are step-by-step instructions for turning off the assistant’s voice:

1. Open the Google Assistant app on your Android device.

2. Say “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.” Alternatively, you can navigate to the settings manually by tapping your profile picture in the upper right corner of the Assistant app.

3. Under “All settings,” tap “Assistant voice.”

4. Under “Speech output,” toggle the setting off.

This will prevent the Assistant from speaking out loud when providing replies or reading out information. The Assistant will still show text responses on screen when speech output is disabled.

You can also disable speech output by saying “Hey Google, turn off speech output.”

For reference, see this Google support article.

Use Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb mode on Android allows you to mute sounds, stop vibration alerts, and block visual disturbances on your device. When enabled, Do Not Disturb will mute any alerts or notifications from the Google Assistant so it won’t speak out loud.

To enable Do Not Disturb on your Android device to mute the Google Assistant:

• Open the Settings app and go to Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb.
• Toggle on “Turn on now” to enable Do Not Disturb immediately.
• You can also set a schedule for when Do Not Disturb should automatically turn on and off.
• Under “Exceptions” you can customize what types of notifications are allowed – be sure to disable exceptions for Assistant if you want it fully muted.

With Do Not Disturb enabled, the Google Assistant will be muted and won’t provide any audio feedback or interruptions. This provides a simple way to keep the Assistant silent at specific times when you don’t want to be disturbed.

Disable Voice Match

Voice Match allows Google Assistant to recognize your voice and provide personalized results for you. It does this by creating a unique voice model based on your voiceprint. When Voice Match is enabled, you can access your calendar, contacts, reminders and other personal information just by speaking to your device.

To turn off Voice Match:

1. Open the Google Home app
2. Tap Home and then Settings and then Google Assistant and then Voice Match
3. Select the device you want to disable Voice Match on
4. Toggle off Voice Match

With Voice Match disabled, Google Assistant will no longer be able to recognize your voice and provide personalized results. However, you can still use voice commands to access general information and perform basic actions. Disabling Voice Match increases privacy by preventing the Assistant from accessing your personal information based on voice recognition alone.

For more details on managing Voice Match, visit Google’s support page: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7320960?hl=en

Use Physical Mute Button

Many Android devices have a physical mute button or switch that can be used to quickly mute the microphone and stop Google Assistant from listening and speaking. This hardware mute switch is usually located along the side or top edge of the phone.

To use the mute button to silence the Google Assistant, simply slide or flip the switch to the mute position. This will instantly turn off the microphone and prevent the Assistant from responding to your voice commands or questions until you disable mute again. The location varies between devices, but is often near the volume buttons on the side of the phone. Refer to your device’s manual if you’re unsure where the hardware mute switch is located.

According to Android Police, you can manually deactivate the Google Assistant by tapping the physical microphone button on the speaker, usually located on the back of smart speakers and smart displays.

The mute button offers a quick and easy way to temporarily disable the Assistant’s speech without having to dig into software settings. Just remember to flip the switch back when you want to re-enable the voice assistant.

Consider Alternatives

If you find the Google Assistant’s voice responses too disruptive but still want access to a voice assistant, there are other options to consider. Some popular alternatives include:

Amazon Alexa – Alexa is one of the top rivals to the Google Assistant. It offers many of the same features like weather updates, smart home control, and voice searches. One advantage is that you can disable Alexa’s voice entirely and just see text responses on a companion app like the Alexa app for Android. However, Alexa lacks the tight integration with Android that the Google Assistant has.

Bixby – Samsung’s Bixby comes preinstalled on many Samsung Galaxy devices. It provides voice assistant capabilities optimized for Samsung apps and services. You can mute Bixby’s voice feedback completely and just get visual responses.[1]

Extreme Personal Voice Assistant – This third-party app allows you to fully customize a voice assistant, including choosing your own wake words and disabling all voice responses.[2] However, its features may not be as robust as some alternatives.

Disabling voice may reduce convenience and accessibility. But if you find the constant talking distracting, exploring alternative voice assistants gives you options to reduce vocalizations while still having access to a virtual assistant.