How to Turn Off Voice Assistant (Google, Siri, and Alexa)?

How to Turn Off Voice Assistant? – Overview

Voice assistant devices have become increasingly common in households. These devices are easy to use and work on voice commands. You can ask your voice assistant to do almost everything, from playing your favorite music to controlling your other electronics, checking your bank balance, and more.

Since the technology launch in 2014, voice assistant devices have evolved significantly. Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps ease our everyday lives, especially if we are infirm or disabled.

What is a Voice Assistant?

A voice assistant is a software system in a device that works using voice commands. It combines the power of AI and machine learning to recognize spoken commands and does several tasks. Voice assistant software is commonly found in smart devices, such as smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets.

Besides this, you can buy dedicated voice assistant devices from major tech brands, such as Google’s “Google Assistant,” Apple’s “Siri,” Amazon’s “Alexa,” and “Bixby” from Samsung.

These devices have become the go-to for controlling other aspects of home life, such as switching on lights and air conditioners and even running washing machines on command.

Benefits of Voice Assistant

Having a voice assistant at home is extremely helpful to:

Controlling devices – Voice Assistant software connects with other smart devices and appliances at home and can control these devices and appliances with a simple voice command.
Playing music – These devices are connected to your home music system and can play any track of tune with a simple voice command.
Getting the news – You can find the most relevant and important news and updates on the internet using your voice assistant software, whether it is about the traffic on-route to work or the weather forecast.
Checking bank balance – Many banks now let customers access their bank account details, such as balance and transaction history, and even request credit cards using their voice assistant devices.
Improving security – Voice assistant software systems also connect to your home’s security system and give you a live feed on your smartphone anytime.
Scheduling – It is easier to create appointments and reminders using voice assistant systems, even if you don’t have your phone, watch or diary at hand.
Helping the disabled – Voice assistant software is extremely helpful for those with restricted mobility or disability as they can practically control almost every task at home using a simple voice command.

Despite all these and other benefits, users are concerned about privacy as there is a belief that your voice assistant device may be listening to your private conversation.

How to Turn Off Voice Assistant?

Google Assistant, Siri, Alex and others don’t necessarily record and transmit data until a voice command is “woken” the device. However, ease of use and convenience always take second place when it comes to privacy and security. Though audio-driven digital technology allows users hands-free operation, it is important to know how to switch off these devices when not in use.

Let’s take a look at the simple ways you can turn off voice assistants, such as Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri:

How to Turn Off Google Assistant?

You must say “Okay, Google” to wake up a Google Assistant device on your Android smartphone, Google Home, and Chromebooks. This can be done using the Google App for iOS. Like others, Google Assistant has a “mute” button on the side that can be flicked to prevent the device’s microphone from listening to private conversations.

Here is a step-wise guide to turning off Google Assistant:

1. Open Google App

2. Go to SETTINGS

3. Select VOICE

4. Press “Ok Google” DETECTION

With this, you can choose to have the software turn on only on your voice command. This function is called “Trusted Voice” and allows active listening even when your smartphone is locked. You can turn this feature off to disable active listening.

However, you need to know that when you turn it off, you can still use voice search features, but only when you tap on the microphone icon in the search bar.

If you use Google Assistant on iOS devices, then the “OK Google” command will only work in the Google apps. You can also turn off active listening by tapping your account icon at the top to open SETTINGS, then tap “VOICE SEARCH” before selecting “OK Google” as your activation command.

How to Turn Off Apple Siri?

Apple’s Siri voice assistant system has evolved remarkably since it was first introduced for iOS devices. Today, you can find watchOS, macOS Sierra, and tvOS on Apple TV. It will also be released soon with Apple’s HomePod smart speaker.

Currently, Siri’s active listening technology works only with iOS devices and HomePod speakers. You can turn off Apple Siri by:

1. Opening SETTINGS

2. Selecting SIRI

3. Flip the “Hey Siri” switch to the on or off position

If you want this feature to work without plugging in your device, you need an iPhone 6S or newer model. Previous versions of iPhone and iPad will need to be plugged in to work completely on voice commands.

How to Turn Off Amazon Alexa?

You can simply turn off active listening on Amazon Echo devices such as Look, Tap, Dot or Show by pressing the microphone button on the side. By doing this, your voice assistant becomes only a Bluetooth speaker, and Alexa becomes inactive.

The device will not record any voice or audio during normal conversation unless you speak directly to the device, starting with “Alexa.” You can also choose to change the wake work on your Echo devices easily.

Conclusion

You also need to remember that these voice-activated digital assistants also store the history of voice commands and searches. The reason is that the log allows your digital assistant to be more responsive by anticipating your commands in the future.

If you don’t feel comfortable having your voice commands and search history recorded on your digital devices, you can simply delete the record log.

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