While Google Assistant is a wonderful companion to have around, you don't always want it chiming in on your life. Whether it's accidentally taking commands when you're not speaking to it or getting activated by voices on your televisions, some people find it best to turn off the companion. Google Assistant can be turned off entirely on your smartphone, though you can also limit its abilities — giving it the exact amount of control over your smart home as you deem necessary.
Here's a detailed look at how to turn off Google Assistant on any device, including your smartphone and smart devices.
There are a few different ways to disable Google Assistant on your smartphone, depending on your device and software. Here's a general look at how it works:
Step 1: Open the Google app on your phone.
Step 2: Enter the options menu by clicking on your profile picture at the top of the screen.
Step 5: Enter the General menu, then toggle Google Assistant to the off position.
Step 6: That's it! Google Assistant is now deactivated. However, if those steps don't work for your device, you can try something else. Just dive directly into your smartphone's Settings menu, select Assistant, then General. You can then toggle off your Google Assistant right from this menu screen.
Since there are so many devices that support Google Assistant, there are a variety of ways to modify their settings. Be sure to check the instructions for your specific device, but here's a general way to look at which smart devices are syncing with Google Assistant.
Step 1: Open the Google Home app on your smartphone.
Step 3: Select Google Assistant.
Step 4: Click Manage all Assistant settings.
Step 6: Here, you'll be able to manage all devices that are linked to your Assistant. This includes adding or removing devices.
You can tweak all sorts of different settings in the Google app if you go to the Google Assistant menu as shown above, but what if you want to turn off specific triggers?
Sometimes Google Assistant will pick up your voice even if you’re not issuing a command, so it can be frustrating around the house. An ideal solution is to set the app preferences so it’ll only pick up voice commands when you’re in the car. Here’s how to do that on a Samsung Galaxy phone — the path will be slightly different on a different device.
Step 1: Go to Settings and tap Apps.
Step 2: Tap the three dots icon at the top-right for more options, and tap Default apps.
Step 3: Tap on Device Assistance App (or Assist App).
Step 4: There are various settings you can change here, and they’ll be different depending on your device. Some might ofter to read text messages out loud, while others will launch Assistant when you squeeze your phone.
Step 5: Tap the Gear icon to dig deeper and access more options. Tap Voice Match.
Step 6: You can now toggle off Access with Voice Match but leave on While Driving.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.