How to stop Google from listening to you on your Android phone

Get (some) privacy on your Android smartphone and avoid Google eavesdropping on your stuff

Rafael Belokurows

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Image by DAMIEN MEYER | AFP | Getty Images

Despite all recent claims about security and that they are not sticking the nose — or ears — into our lives, software companies like Google and Apple are more interested than ever in our information. And one of their favorite ways of doing that is listening to everything you say when next to your phone (let’s face it, when are you not next to your phone?).

The tale of smartphones showing targeted ads even when the only thing you did was say something out loud is growing stronger each day. This is both creepy as it is true and if you haven’t experienced something like it, you probably will soon.

But don’t worry, there are a few tricks you can try to avoid having all your conversations heard by Google and maybe give you a bit more privacy. So, let’s go over some of the settings you can adjust right now, and hopefully, you will be a little safer from now on.

According to recent research from Digital Content Next, Android smartphones collect almost twice as much data when your phone is active as Apple because they are always communicating with Google’s and probably third party’s servers.

Thankfully, there are actually a few settings that you could change/disable to reduce Google’s control over your conversations.

Obs: This was all tested on a Pixel 4XL with Android 11 installed.

Turn Off “OK Google” detection

A good first step if you don’t use the Google Assistant all that much, is disabling the “OK Google” detection. This is a certainly useful feature, but some (or most) people don’t use it and it becomes another backdoor for Google hearing you. Here’s how to disable it:

  1. Settings -> Google

2. Account Services -> Search, Assistant & Voice

3. Voice Match and disable “Hey Google”

Disabling “OK Google” command

Turn Off “OK Google”…

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Rafael Belokurows

Data Nerd, Compulsive Reader, Coffee-drinker, interested in pretty much all things IT