If Gemini keeps popping up every time you hold your power button or say “Hey Google,” you’re not stuck with it. Google has shifted Android’s default assistant role from Google Assistant to Gemini, but you can still dial back how much Gemini inserts itself into your phone.
Table of Contents
This guide walks through turning off Gemini as your default assistant, muting its voice activation, and changing what your power button does instead — plus what’s no longer possible now that Google Assistant has been phased out on most devices.
Quick Answer
Open Settings, then go to Apps > Default apps > Digital assistant app > Default digital assistant app, and choose a different assistant or select None. This stops Gemini from acting as your system-wide assistant, though you’ll separately need to turn off its “Hey Google” voice trigger and power-button shortcut if you want those gone too.
Set Your Default Assistant to None (or Something Else)
On most Android phones: open Settings, tap Apps, tap Default apps, tap Digital assistant app, then tap Default digital assistant app. From there you’ll see Gemini (sometimes labeled under “Google”) along with any other assistant apps installed on your phone. Select None to disable a default assistant entirely, or pick an alternative if you have one installed, such as Bixby on a Samsung device.
If you can’t find this menu by browsing, use the search bar inside Settings and type “digital assistant app” — it’ll jump straight to the right screen on most OEM skins, including Samsung’s One UI and stock Pixel Android.
Keep in mind this only changes which app answers when you trigger an assistant. It doesn’t remove Gemini from your phone or stop it from appearing elsewhere, like inside Google Messages or the Google app’s search bar.
Turn Off Voice Activation and the Power Button Shortcut
To stop Gemini from listening for “Hey Google,” open the Gemini app, tap the menu icon, tap your profile picture or initial, go to Settings, and turn off “Talk to Gemini hands-free.” This disables the hotword detection so Gemini won’t activate just from hearing you say the trigger phrase.
To stop a long-press of the power button from launching Gemini: on a Pixel, go to Settings > System > Gestures > Press and hold power button, and change the action to something else, like opening the power menu. On a Samsung phone, go to Settings > Advanced Features > Side Button, select Long Press, and choose a different assistant or action from the list.
If you installed the Gemini app separately, you can uninstall it from Settings > Apps, but Google notes that removing the app by itself does not change your default assistant setting — you still need to update that separately using the steps above.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Don’t expect one master switch — Gemini shows up in several places (default assistant, voice activation, power button, and inside apps like Google Maps), so you may need to adjust each setting individually to fully quiet it down.
Google began retiring the classic Google Assistant app on Android, Wear OS, and Android Auto starting in September 2026, rolling out the change in waves. Once a device has been switched over, Google Assistant is no longer available to switch back to on that device — your remaining options are to set the default assistant to None, pick a different app if one is installed, or limit Gemini’s triggers as described above.
If you use Gemini inside Google Maps or Waze for hands-free directions, note that turning it off in the main Gemini app settings may not disable it there — check Maps’ own Settings > Navigation > Gemini menu separately.
Switching your default assistant away from Gemini does not delete your existing Gemini conversation history. If you want that gone too, you’ll need to clear or delete it from within the Gemini app’s activity settings.
Explore more: More Android and tech how-tos.
Gemini default assistant on Android FAQs
Can I still get Google Assistant back instead of Gemini?
Not on devices where Google has already completed the switch. Google began retiring Google Assistant on phones, tablets, Wear OS watches, and Android Auto in September 2026, and once a device has moved over to Gemini, there’s no way to revert to Assistant on that device.
What happens if I set my default digital assistant to None?
Your power button long-press (unless reassigned) and any “Hey Google” voice trigger will stop opening an assistant. You can still open the Gemini app manually like any other app; it just won’t act as your phone’s default assistant.
Will uninstalling the Gemini app disable it everywhere?
No. Uninstalling the app doesn’t change your default assistant setting or remove Gemini features baked into other Google apps. You need to update the default assistant setting and individual app settings separately.
Does turning off Gemini stop it from appearing in Gmail or other Google apps?
No, this guide covers the phone’s system-level assistant settings. Gemini integrations inside apps like Gmail, Docs, or Photos have their own separate on/off controls within each app’s settings.
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Photo: Imagen 2 via Gemini; prompted by Adi Robertson / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.