How to Disable Gemini on Android Phone

If you found yourself thinking, "how to disable Gemini on Android?", you are not alone. With the rollout of Gemini on Android devices and how it's becoming more deeply integrated into your phone experience, it makes sense to take control of it. In this friendly guide, I am going to walk you through what Gemini is, why you might want to disable it, and, step by step, how to do so. Let's get started.

What is Gemini on Android?

Before looking at how to disable it, let's make sure we know what "Gemini" actually refers to in this context.

Gemini is Google LLC's AI assistant and is becoming more pronounced in the Android experience, either replacing or working alongside the classic Google Assistant.

It's now supposed to help users send messages, make calls, open apps, summarize, and otherwise interact with your phone in a far more proactive way.

Because of this deeper integration, many of the users of Android phones are concerned about its access to system apps and personal data.

Therefore, if you're asking yourself how to disable Gemini on Android, you're really asking how to turn off or limit these AI-driven functions that your phone might have enabled by default.

Why You Might Want to Disable Gemini

You might absolutely love the idea of an always-ready AI assistant, but there are some very valid reasons a person may want to turn Gemini off. Here are a few:

1. Privacy concerns

As Gemini is integrated, it would access applications such as your Messages, Phone, WhatsApp, Calendar, Drive, and so on.

Turning off Gemini provides more control for you if you want to limit how much of an AI assistant can interact with your data.

2. Prefer old Google Assistant behavior

Other users feel that Google Assistant did what they needed and didn't want to deal with changes in interface or behavior. As one user shared on the thread on Reddit:

First of all, what I had to do was go through Gemini settings. So I opened Gemini > Settings > Digital Assistants from Google and then selected Assistant.

So, disabling Gemini will restore what you had if that is the old experience you prefer.

3. Reduce background activity and simplify things

Sometimes fewer built-in assistants mean fewer prompts, fewer system processes, and a phone experience that is simpler and predictable.

4. Avoid undesired automated changes

A few reports from technology outlets have stated that, via updates, Google will automatically switch to having Gemini on as the default across Android devices, even if you haven't explicitly enabled it yourself.

If you want to be opted-out early, it's a good idea to disable now.

What You Need to Know Before You Start

Before proceeding with the steps below, consider:

Some menu items might have slightly different names or be located under different spots on your device, depending on your device model, such as Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus, etc., and Android version.

Some features of Gemini can be deeply integrated into the system; by "disabling" it, it may mean only limiting its access rather than removal.

The more advanced procedures, including the full uninstallation of Gemini, require more technical effort and may potentially destabilize the system.

Always make backups of your important data and, if you go into advanced system settings, know what you are doing.

With that said, let's head to the main guide.

How to Disable Gemini on Android: Step-by-Step

Herein, I give instructions in a friendly and detailed way on how to disable Gemini on Android phone. I'll split it into the basic method, which will be enough for most users, and the advanced method for those who want to go further.

Method 1: Basic Disable using Gemini App & Settings

This is the right approach when one wants to disable only the app activity of Gemini and prevent it from communicating with other apps.

Step 1: Open the Gemini application

Open the Gemini app on your Android phone.

You might not find it in the app drawer, so you can also search for it within your "Google" or "Assistant" app.

Step 2: Click on your account/profile icon.

Tap your profile picture or initials in the top right corner of the Gemini app.

This will take you to the account/settings section in Gemini.

Step 3: Disable Gemini Apps Activity

In the profile/settings section, look for "Gemini Apps Activity" or similar wording.

Tap it, then tap Turn off and optionally Delete activity, to have Gemini stop storing and using your interactions for training.

Step 4: Turn off Gemini's access to other apps

There's also an Apps or Connected apps section within the settings of the Gemini app.

You will see a list of Google apps and third-party ones, such as Messages, Phone, WhatsApp, or Calendar.

Flip OFF those apps that you do not want Gemini to use.

Step 5: Set your preferred assistant, if necessary.

If your phone continues to trigger Gemini when you use voice or assistant shortcuts, it may be necessary to switch the default assistant back to Google Assistant.

Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Assist & voice input (path may vary).

Replace Gemini with Google or whatever assistant works best for you. As one Redditor noted, it's the following step that gives it away: > “Now it’s all good!”

Step 6: Restart your phone

After making these changes, restart your phone for the settings to take full effect.

By now, you have done most of the heavy lifting with respect to "how to disable Gemini on Android."

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Method 2: Advanced - Uninstall or Deep Disable

If you're comfortable with more advanced settings, or using a phone where disabling via the basics didn't work fully, you can follow deeper steps. Note that these may vary widely by device and manufacturer.

Option A: Disable via App Info

Open your phone's Settings and find either the Gemini app or the Gemini service among the listed Apps.

Tap App info

If you see a Disable or Uninstall button, tap it. If you only see Disable, that's OK-the app won't be able to run anymore. Discussion threads on Reddit illustrate this approach: "uninstalled it … took a few minutes but it was worth it!"

Option B: Use ADB to uninstall (expert)

If you want to get completely rid of Gemini-or rather, the package name that comes along with it, like com.google.android.apps.bard on some devices-you'll need to turn on USB debugging, install ADB on a computer, hook up your Android device, and run something like

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.bard

This is documented in community guides, but it is not recommended for casual users.

C. Watch for any future updates

Since Gemini might get deeper integrations with system updates, such as fully replacing Google Assistant for instance, you'd still want to be looking at newer Android updates and settings. This trend is noted on adult tech sites.

What happens after you turn off Gemini?

Once you have disabled Gemini, or limited its access, here is what you might expect:

Gemini won't access or interact with the apps you disabled-or at least it shouldn't, depending on how deep the integration is.

From then on, it is your default assistant, say, Google Assistant or any other, that takes over handling voice commands and assistant features, among others.

Note that activity from Gemini may still appear in your logs until it is entirely shut off, so check Settings → My Activity in your Google Account if you want to clear those.

You may free up some system resources and simplify your choice of assistant.

You may still receive system updates that will try to enable or more deeply integrate Gemini, so it is worth reviewing the settings again following major Android updates.

Final Thoughts

There you have it: friendly, comprehensive, in-depth information on how to disable Gemini from your Android device. You now know what Gemini is, why you need to disable it, and exactly how to do it. 

FAQs: How to Disable Gemini on Android

1. How do I turn off Gemini on Android?

• To disable Gemini on your Android phone, open the Gemini app first. 
• Next, tap on your profile icon, enter Gemini Apps Activity, and tap on Turn Off. 
• You can also go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Assist & voice input and set the Google Assistant back as your default assistant. 
• Restart your phone after you save the settings. T
• That will shut down Gemini and it will stop responding to your commands.

2. How do I delete Gemini permanently?

• If your device allows, you can uninstall Gemini for good. Just open Settings → Apps → Gemini (or Bard), and press Uninstall. 
• This option will be grayed out on some phones, which have Gemini pre-installed. 
• For those, you will just see the option to select the Disable option. 
• Advanced users may be able to remove this via ADB commands like:

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.bard

• Use this method only if you're comfortable with developer tools, since using it may impact system stability.

3. How to Turn Off Google AI on Android 

To completely disable the AI features of Google, open Settings → Google → Data & privacy → Web & App Activity and turn them Off. 

Alternatively, you could launch the Gemini app, then Settings → Gemini Apps Activity, and from there disable data collection. 

This will prevent both settings from enabling Google AI models to learn from your app usage and personal activity. 

4. How to disable Gemini on the Android Home button? 

If pressing the Home or Power button is still launching Gemini, change your default assistant app: 

• Settings → Apps → Default apps → Assist & voice input 
• Tap Digital assistants from Google or similar 
• Instead of Gemini, touch Google Assistant or None 
• Once you do this, you will not open Gemini by pressing the Home or Power button. 

5. How can I remove AI from my phone? 

You can't completely rid your Android of all AI features, as most are baked inside the OS, but you can disable or limit them. You can: 

• Turn off Gemini and Google AI using the steps above. 
• Turn off personal suggestions, Smart Reply, and AI-powered recommendations under Google and device settings. 
• Install more privacy-oriented apps or launchers that do not rely on Google AI. 
• That way, you will have a cleaner and more private Android without most of the AI interference.