You were having a conversation with your sister about buying shoes, and she recommended a particular shoe brand. Moments after that conversation ended, you were browsing and saw that same shoe brand’s ad on your screen. Later, while checking Facebook, you saw another ad from the same brand. Can this be sheer coincidence?
In the age of smartphones, digital marketing, and privacy breaches, it is not unheard of for people to believe that their smartphones are listening to them. Some news sites claim that companies use our phones to listen to our private conversations to enhance their sales, further stoking this perceived fear.
Voice-activated technology like Google Assistant has undoubtedly made our lives easier, but it has also raised serious concerns about eavesdropping. Perhaps the real issue is that this technology, in order to function, maintains a “virtual ear” that is always alert to pick up “wake words” or commands like “OK Google” and “Hey Google.” This means that our smartphones are always listening to us, at least in a technical sense.
However, not everyone is okay with this, and therefore, this blog is for those who are interested in stopping their smartphones from listening. By following these 6 steps, you can prevent your Android phone from listening to you by disabling Google Assistant.
- Unlock your Android phone and go to Settings. Scroll down and select Google.
- Select Settings for Google apps.
- Select Search, Assistant & Voice.
- Select Voice.
- Select Voice Match.
- Toggle off Hey Google.
This is it. Your phone will not listen to your voice anymore.
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