To turn off Gemini on Android, first decide what you want to stop: the button shortcut, voice activation, lock-screen replies or the default assistant itself. Uninstalling the Gemini app alone does not automatically remove it as your phone’s default assistant. Change the setting that matches the interruption.
This guide uses current Google and Samsung instructions checked November 6, 2026. Menu names vary by phone and software version. The steps below describe settings you can check yourself; they are not the results of tests on your device.
Choose what you want to turn off
- If holding the power button opens Gemini, change the button’s long-press action.
- If Gemini answers a spoken phrase, turn off Hey Google.
- For replies while the phone is locked, check Use Gemini without unlocking.
- To stop using a default assistant, set Default digital assistant app to None.
- To remove the app, use Uninstall if available, then check the default assistant separately.
Start with the narrowest change that solves your problem. If the assistant only opens when you hold a button, you can change that shortcut and still open the app deliberately when you need it. You do not have to treat every unwanted popup as a reason to reset the phone.
Remove Gemini as the default Android assistant
- Open Settings, then Apps and Default apps.
- Open Digital assistant app, then Default digital assistant app.
- Select None, or another assistant that your phone actually lists.
See Google’s current Gemini removal controls. The default may be labeled Google. Search Settings for “digital assistant app” if needed.
Choose from the options on your own phone. Do not assume an older video’s Google Assistant switch will still appear, or install a modified app to recreate it. After changing the default, repeat the shortcut that caused the interruption to check the result.
Keep the app but change the power button
For Google’s layout, open Settings > System > Gestures > Press & hold power button and choose an action. Otherwise, search Settings for “power” or “gesture.”
For Samsung Galaxy phones, Samsung’s Side button customization guide uses Settings > Advanced features > Side button. Under Long press, choose Power off menu instead of Digital assistant. Available choices depend on the model and software.
Check the long-press setting, not the double-press camera shortcut. Then hold the button once while the phone is unlocked. If the power menu appears, that button is doing the job you chose. This does not by itself remove voice activation or uninstall anything.
Stop voice activation or lock-screen replies
For “Hey Google,” open Gemini, tap Menu, then your profile picture or initial, and open Settings > Talk to Gemini hands-free. Turn Hey Google off. Google’s mobile app setup and activation instructions show where this control lives. You can still open the app and use its microphone deliberately.
If the problem is replies while the phone is locked, use Settings > Gemini on lock screen inside Gemini and turn off Use Gemini without unlocking. Google’s lock-screen controls guide also describes the separate Make calls and send messages without unlocking switch. Choose the scope you need rather than treating these as the phone’s screen-lock settings.
Changing assistant activation does not require weakening your PIN, fingerprint or screen lock. Keep those protections. For a useful check, lock the phone and try the same ordinary trigger again without sharing a private message or asking it to call anyone.
Uninstall the Gemini app if that is your goal
For an app you installed, Google’s Android app removal instructions use Play Store > profile icon > Manage apps & devices > Manage. Select Gemini, then Uninstall. This removes the app, but recheck the default-assistant setting above afterward.
If Uninstall is unavailable, do not assume the phone is broken. Google explains that some preinstalled system apps cannot be deleted; disabling options depend on the manufacturer. Avoid disabling the entire Google app as a shortcut to this task. Google hosts Gemini’s assistant capabilities, so the app icon and the assistant setting are not interchangeable.
Google’s Device assistance documentation says some quick settings actions require Google to be the default assistant, while other supported actions can remain available without that role. After removing the default, check any assistant feature you still rely on. A successful uninstall is not proof that every AI feature on the phone has disappeared.
History and AI in other apps have separate controls
If your concern is saved conversations, review Gemini chat history, deletion and Temporary Chat separately. Google’s activity management instructions distinguish stopping Keep Activity from deleting existing activity. Do not delete conversations merely to fix a button shortcut.
Gemini in Messages, Chrome or Workspace has its own controls. Likewise, an AI answer in Search is a different surface; see ways to skip Google AI Overviews. If something still appears, identify which app displays it before repeating Android assistant changes.
