Google’s voice assistant capabilities listening room are convenient, but concerns about privacy and data security have led many users to seek ways to prevent Google from listening to their conversations. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to stop Google from listening to your every word and manage your privacy settings effectively.
1. Turn Off “Hey Google” Detection
On Android Devices: listening room
Open Google Assistant: Launch the Google app and tap on your profile picture or initial in the top right corner to access the settings.
Go to Settings: Navigate to “Settings” and then to “Google Assistant.”
Voice Match: In the Assistant settings, find and select “Voice Match.”
Turn Off: Toggle off the “Hey Google” feature to disable voice detection. This stops your device from always listening for the activation phrase.
On Google Home Devices:
Now Open Google Home App: Now try to Launch the Google Home app on your smartphone.
Device Settings: Select the Google Home device you want to adjust.
Voice and Sound: Go to the settings, then to “Voice and Sound” and toggle off the “Hey Google” sensitivity.
2. Disable Microphone Access for Google Apps
On Android:
After we need to go to Settings: In that we need to open your phone’s settings menu.
Apps & Notifications: Navigate to “Apps & Notifications” and select the Google app.
Permissions: Tap on “Permissions” and find the “Microphone” option.
Toggle Off: Turn off the microphone access for the Google app.
On iOS:
Open Settings: Go to your iPhone’s settings.
Privacy: Tap on “Privacy” and then on “Microphone.”
Google App: Find the Google app in the list and toggle off the microphone access.
3. Manage and Delete Voice Activity
Review and Delete Voice Recordings:
My Activity: Visit the Google My Activity page on your web browser (myactivity.google.com).
Voice & Audio Activity: Under “Activity Controls,” find and select “Voice & Audio Activity.”
Review: Here, you can review all the voice recordings Google has stored.
Delete: You can delete individual recordings or choose to delete all recordings by selecting “Delete activity by” and choosing a specific date range or “All time.”
Turn Off Voice & Audio Activity:
Pause Recording: On the same “Voice & Audio Activity” page, you can pause the recording of voice and audio activity by toggling the switch to the off position.
4. Adjust Google Account Privacy Settings
Web and App Activity:
Activity Controls: Go to your Google Account settings and find “Data & Personalization.”
Web & App Activity: Under “Activity Controls,” locate “Web & App Activity” and toggle it off. This prevents Google from saving your voice activity.
Ad Personalization:
Ad Settings: In the “Data & Personalization” section, navigate to “Ad Personalization” and turn it off. This reduces the extent to which Google uses your data for targeted advertising.
5. Use Physical Controls
Microphone Mute Button:
Google Home Devices: Most Google Home devices have a physical mute button. When engaged, this button prevents the device from listening or responding to voice commands.
Smartphones: Consider using a smartphone case with a built-in microphone blocker or using external accessories that physically disconnect the microphone.
Conclusion
Taking control of your privacy and ensuring that Google listening room isn’t constantly listening involves a combination of software settings and physical measures. By turning off “Hey Google” detection, disabling microphone access, managing and deleting voice activity, adjusting privacy settings in your Google account, and using physical controls, you can significantly reduce the chances of your conversations being inadvertently recorded. This comprehensive approach helps safeguard your privacy while still allowing you to use Google’s services on your terms.
