Google Assistant is one of the most useful functions of the smartphone, but it can create problems if we are in public: here's how to disable it
Google Assistant is the digital assistant built into Android smartphones and compatible smart devices. For many it is a great convenience, because you can command it with your voice and it responds to us in the same way: with a loud and powerful male or female voice.
There are cases in which, however, the voice of Google Assistant could create some problems, because the volume of the assistant is the same general set on the smartphone. So it could be very loud. The fact that Google Assistan speaks, moreover, is not exactly the best for privacy if we are in a crowded place. If we're in the office or at the bar and we ask Google what our next appointment is, in fact, Assistant might answer very loudly something embarrassing. Luckily, though, you can mute Google Assistant and have it answer us only with text on the screen. Here's how to do it.
How to mute Google Assistant on your phone
To mute the volume of Google Assistant and force the digital assistant to answer us without using your voice we must, first, activate Assistant with the classic "Ok Google". At this we must tap on the icon at the bottom right, that of "Explore", and immediately after on our profile picture at the top right. From here we'll have to choose "Settings" and then the "Assistant" tab. At the bottom of the screen we'll find "Assistant Devices" and, immediately below, all the devices controlled by Google Assistant: for sure our smartphone, if we have them also the smart speraker Google Home or Google Home Mini.
We tap on "Phone" and then on "Voice Output". In here we will have two possible choices: "On" and "Only if hands-free". With On the voice assistant will always answer us with voice, with the other option we'll force it to answer us with on-screen text (unless, of course, the phone is in hands-free mode). Here, then, is the easiest way to mute Google Assistant and continue using it without risking making a bad impression in public.
Doesn't work with Google Home and Google Home Mini
What happens, however, if there is also a Google Home or Google Home Mini smart speaker in the room? Because they don't have a screen, these devices clearly can't respond to us with text. However, they are always listening, so it could happen that, even if we have silenced the phone, when we activate Google Assistant they are the ones who answer us with their voice. If we need to use Assistant and, at the same time, we can't let others hear the answers, we can just turn off the smart speakers and leave only the smartphone with the voice assistant muted on.