Time to Take Control of Your Device’s Listening Abilities
It’s time to take charge and ensure that your devices are not constantly eavesdropping on your conversations. While it’s convenient to have smart assistants like Google, Siri, and Alexa at our beck and call, it’s essential to have some privacy and control over when they listen in. Here’s how you can adjust your settings to ensure that your devices only listen when you want them to.
Tuning Your Phone’s Listening Skills
If you’re concerned about your Google Pixel phone always listening for a wake command, you can easily turn this feature off in the settings:
- Go to the main Settings screen of your phone.
- Tap on Apps and scroll down to select Assistant.
- Choose Hey Google & Voice Match.
- Toggle off the Hey Google switch under This device.
This will prevent your phone from constantly listening for the “hey Google” command. You can still access Google Assistant by pressing and holding the power button. The process is similar for Samsung Galaxy phones, but for Bixby, you’ll need to adjust the settings accordingly.
Reigning in Siri’s Eavesdropping on Your iPhone
On an iPhone using Siri, you can stop the device from constantly listening for a “hey Siri” command:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select Siri & Search.
- Tap on Listen for and choose Off.
Once done, Siri will no longer respond to voice commands unless you manually activate it by pressing and holding the Side button. You have complete control over when Siri listens in on your conversations.
Silencing Your Smart Speaker’s Ears
Smart speakers like those from Google, Apple, and Amazon are always on the alert for voice commands. However, you can adjust this behavior to suit your preferences:
If you own a Google Nest speaker, locate the physical mic-off switch—usually found underneath or at the back. Simply toggle this switch to mute the microphone and prevent the speaker from listening in on your conversations. When you’re ready to use Google Assistant again, just switch the toggle back.
By taking these steps, you can ensure that your devices only listen in on your conversations when you want them to. Enjoy the convenience of smart assistants without compromising your privacy.