OT - Disable Google Assistant on my Android Phone?

smontanaro · #1 03-19-2017, 12:18 PM

While I was in the hospital after surgery, my Android phone started activating Google Assistant when I held down the home button. Previously, that action fired up the usual Google app. I don't want to talk to my search engine, and I really don't want it happening to pick up background chatter (such as when the nurse brought me my pain meds). It's not like I'm a Luddite. Heck, I'm a software engineer. I feel like I should be able to pick my poison, however.

I've so far been unsuccessful in reverting this change in behavior. Google searches have yielded nothing useful (big surprise, huh?). Has anyone figured how to revert this change in behavior?

Exonerv · #2 03-19-2017, 07:26 PM

I've read if you change the language to US Virgin Islands, or somewhere that Assistant is unavailable, it will revert to the older Google Now search.

http://www.androidauthority.com/goog...ck-755782/amp/

ultraman6970 · #3 03-19-2017, 09:08 PM

Happy my android phones are so cheap that dont even have that software installed

smontanaro · #4 03-20-2017, 06:05 AM

Thanks, I saw a similar article in my searching. Was never able to find a settings screen called Language and Input. Just spent a half hour poking around my settings again. Nothing other than just English. I did stumble on "English (generic)" early on in some screen while focused on my hunt for "English US Virgin Islands". Now I can't find it again. *sigh* I'll try again a bit later.

Exonerv · #5 03-20-2017, 06:19 AM

It's under the primary settings for the phone...not Google settings.

smontanaro · #6 03-20-2017, 07:39 AM

Thanks. I suspect either HTC (phone manufacturer) or Sprint (my provider) screwed with the settings page. I have nothing called "Languages and Input". I do have a "Languages & keyboard" page. In that, there is a "Language" page with a bunch of radio buttons, labeled "Deutsch", "English", "Eesti", etc. There is no subdivision of English into regional dialects.

I found the other language selection page. It was under "Languages & keyboard > Google voice typing > Languages". English options included Australia, Canada, Generic, and Philippines, as well as US. Nothing I selected made a difference to the home button action.

Just for grins, I poked around in the developer options hoping some setting there would reveal more settings, such as the Languages & input page I seem not to have. Alas, I found nothing.