How do I completely turn off Google AI features on my devices?

General
1

I’m trying to disable Google’s AI features across my phone and browser because they keep popping up in search and some apps, changing my usual workflow. I’ve checked a few settings but I’m not sure what actually turns the AI stuff off versus just hiding it. Can anyone walk me through the exact settings or steps to fully turn off Google AI, including in Search, Chrome, and Android if possible?

2

Short answer. You cannot fully kill all Google AI stuff without quitting Google services, but you can shut down a lot of it.

Here is what has worked for me across phone and browser.

  1. Android phone
    Settings differ by device, so look around if names are a bit off.

    1. Turn off “AI” in Google Search and Discover
    • Open Google app
    • Tap profile pic > Settings > “Search”
    • Turn off:
      • “Personal results”
      • “Autocomplete with trending searches”
    • Back to Settings > “General”
      • Turn off “Discover” or “News feed”
      • Turn off “Autocomplete” features if present
    • If you see “Search Generative Experience” or “AI overviews” toggle, disable it.
    1. Disable Google Assistant
    • Settings > Apps > Default apps > Digital assistant app
    • Set to “None” or another app
    • In Google app > Settings > Google Assistant
      • Turn off “Hey Google” / “Voice Match”
      • Turn off “Assistant” on lock screen and personal results
    1. Gboard “AI” features
    • Settings > System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard
    • Turn off:
      • “Personalization” or “Personalized suggestions”
      • “Show suggested replies”
      • “Cloud personalization”
    • Disable emoji / sticker suggestions if they bug you.
    1. Android system AI bits
    • Settings > Privacy
      • Turn off “Personalization” or “Usage & diagnostics”
    • Settings > Google > Ads
      • Turn off “Ad personalization”
    • Settings > Digital Wellbeing > “Heads up” AI stuff off if present.

  2. Chrome desktop or laptop

    1. AI in Google Search
    • Go to google.com while logged in
    • Click your profile > “Manage your Google Account” > “Data & Privacy”
    • Turn off:
      • Web & App Activity
      • “Include Chrome history”
    • Go to Search Labs (flask icon in Google Search top right, if you see it)
      • Turn off “AI overviews and more”
      • Turn off any other Labs “AI” toggles.
    1. Chrome settings
    • Settings > Sync and Google services
      • Turn off “Autocomplete searches and URLs”
      • Turn off “Make searches and browsing better”
      • Turn off “Enhanced spell check”
    • Settings > Privacy and security
      • Set “Safe Browsing” to “Standard” or “No protection” if you want no cloud checks
      (risk goes up, so be careful).
    • Disable “Search suggestions” in address bar if you hate AI-ish completions.

  3. Chrome flags to reduce experiments
    Type in address bar:

    • chrome://flags
      Search for things like:
    • “AI”, “search”, “side panel”
      Disable anything like:
    • “AI-powered search suggestions”
    • “Search side panel”
      These flags change a lot, so you need to hunt a bit.

  4. Google account level settings
    Go to myaccount.google.com > Data & privacy

    • Turn off:
      • Web & App Activity
      • Location History
      • YouTube History
    • Scroll down to “Personalized ads”
      • Turn off ad personalization

    This does not fully remove AI, but reduces how “tailored” things are.

  5. Extra nuclear options

    • Use Firefox or Brave with:
      • uBlock Origin
      • “uBlock filters – Annoyances” and “Privacy” lists on
    • Change default search to DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Kagi, or similar.
    • On Android, install a non Google ROM or use a de-Googled phone like Pixel with GrapheneOS, but this is more work.

If you say what phone model and browser you use, people can give more exact clicks. As of now, Google keeps shifting some AI toggles, so you have to recheck after big updates.

3

You can’t kill all of it unless you walk away from Google entirely, but you can get a lot closer to “no AI crap in my face” than what @voyageurdubois outlined, by attacking it from a few different angles.

I’ll skip what they already covered and focus on extra stuff people usually miss.

1. Stop new AI “experiments” from silently enrolling you

Google loves auto‑opt‑in.

  1. Go to: myaccount.google.com
  2. Data & privacy tab
  3. Scroll everywhere for:
    • “Try new features”
    • “Labs” or “Experiments” / “Preview features”
      Turn off anything that mentions early access, experiments, “help improve,” etc.

This doesn’t fully block AI, but it reduces the surprise “hey we redesigned your search” moments.

2. Disable Gemini / Bard hooks specifically

If Gemini is showing up:

On Android (if you see Gemini in Search or Assistant):

  • Long‑press the home button or Assistant trigger
  • Look for a tiny settings / gear icon on that overlay
  • If there is a “Gemini” section:
    • Turn off “Use Gemini instead of Assistant” or similar
    • Switch back to “Classic Assistant” or disable assistant entirely

Then, in the Google app:

  • Settings
  • Look for “Gemini” or “AI features” section
  • Opt out of “Try Gemini” / “Use Gemini in Search”

You might have to repeat after major updates, which is infuriating.

3. Kill AI-ish UI in Chrome without ditching Chrome completely

They already mentioned flags, but here’s another angle that doesn’t rely on hunting random flags every month:

  1. Go to: chrome://settings/search

    • Turn off “Show trending searches”
    • Turn off suggestions in search box if that toggle exists

  2. Go to: chrome://settings/appearance

    • Disable “Show side panel button”
      A lot of AI stuff is sneaking into that side panel.

  3. Go to: chrome://settings/newTabPage (if present on your version)

    • Turn off cards, recommendations, “Discover” rows, etc.
      That kills some of the AI-generated “stuff you might like.”

4. For Search specifically: cut visual AI junk even if you can’t kill the backend

Even if AI runs server-side, you can at least stop seeing it:

Browser extensions route

On desktop:

  • Install uBlock Origin (if you haven’t already)

  • Go to uBlock settings → My filters

  • Add cosmetic filters for the AI blocks. Example filters people use (these change, so may need tweaking):

    google.*##[data-hveid][data-ved]:has(div[data-felis='ai-answer'])
google.*##div:has(> div[jsname='yibGJb'])  
google.*##.g-blk[data-hveid*='AI']

This is hacky but the point is: block the containers where AI answers appear. When Google changes markup, you’ll have to adjust.

Contrary to @voyageurdubois I’d say: if AI overviews annoy you visually, cosmetic filtering is often more reliable than praying for Google’s own toggle not to “move” in the UI.

5. Android: block AI “surface” layers using a different launcher & search

Instead of only turning off settings, replace the places where Google injects AI:

  1. Install a third‑party launcher (Nova, Niagara, whatever).

    • Set it as default.
    • Most of them let you turn off the Google Discover panel entirely.

  2. Change default search on Android:

    • Settings → Apps → Default apps → Browser
    • Pick Firefox, Brave, etc.
    • In that browser, set DuckDuckGo / Startpage / Kagi as default.

Now even if Google Search is still present, you’re not hitting it by default, so you see less AI stuff in daily use.

6. Google Play Services & “smart” features

Without going into full ROM replacement:

  • Settings → Google → Personalization features

    • Turn off “Personalize using data from your device”
    • Turn off “Smart features” if present

  • Settings → Apps → Google Play Services → Permissions

    • Remove whatever it doesn’t absolutely need for your use (especially location & contacts).
      Less data → less “personalized AI.”

Do not disable Play Services entirely unless you are ready for half your phone to glitch.

7. YouTube & Photos AI bits

People forget these are AI-heavy too.

YouTube:

  • In the YouTube app → Settings
    • Turn off “Autoplay next video”
    • Turn off “Smart downloads” / “Recommendations notifications”
      These are not advertised as “AI” but are algorithmic personalization on steroids.

Google Photos:

  • Settings → Preferences
    • Turn off “Memories”
    • Turn off “Creations” / “Suggested sharing” / “Face grouping” if you’re serious about minimizing AI processing and face recognition.

8. Hard line option without fully quitting Google

If you still want your Gmail / Calendar but hate AI:

  • Use a non‑Google client for those:
    • Email: Thunderbird, Outlook, FairEmail, K‑9, whatever
    • Calendar: DAVx5 + a local calendar app or any CalDAV client
      You keep the underlying Google account but avoid Google’s AI bells and whistles in their official apps.

Bottom line:

  • Account level: turn off history, ads, experiments.
  • Surface level: swap launcher, browser, search engine, and apps.
  • Visual level: use filters/extensions to hide AI blocks.

You’ll never be at literal 0 percent Google AI if you still use their backend, but you can get close to “I basically never see it” in normal day‑to‑day use.

4

You can get closer to “no Google AI in my face” by attacking it at network and device level, not just per‑app toggles like @viaggiatoresolare and @voyageurdubois covered.

They focused on settings inside Android, Chrome, Gemini, Search, etc. That’s all useful, but it depends on Google not silently re‑enabling things. I’d add a more “infrastructure” approach.

1. Network level: block the AI surfaces

If you control your home router or use a custom DNS, you can:

  • Use a DNS blocker (AdGuard Home, Pi‑hole, NextDNS)
  • Add blocklists targeting:
    • Google Discover / recommendation endpoints
    • YouTube home & “suggestions” endpoints
    • Extra “experiment” domains

This does not kill core search or Gmail, but it cuts off some of the recommendation / experimentation pipelines. Downsides:

Pros

  • Works for all devices on your network
  • Survives app updates
  • You often hide AI tiles & feeds completely

Cons

  • Trial and error: block too much and some features break
  • Useless on cellular unless you set custom DNS on the phone too

This approach complements the per‑device configs that @viaggiatoresolare and @voyageurdubois described, instead of replacing them.

2. Per‑profile isolation in Chrome and Android

Instead of trying to “purify” a single Google account, you can isolate:

Chrome profiles

  • Use one Chrome profile with a Google login (for Gmail, Calendar)
  • Use another profile with:
    • No Google login
    • A non‑Google search engine (Kagi, DuckDuckGo, Startpage)
    • Extensions that hide or block Google AI UI

You do most browsing in the “clean” profile and keep the “Google” profile only for specific sites in pinned tabs.

Android user / work profile

  • Create a separate user or work profile
  • Put all Google apps there
  • Keep your main profile using:
    • Alternative email app
    • Alternative browser and search
    • No Google app as default search

Pros:

  • Strong wall between daily use and AI‑heavy Google surfaces
  • You decide when to step into the “Google” side

Cons:

  • Slightly annoying to switch profiles
  • Notifications are trickier across profiles

I actually disagree a bit with the idea that swapping launcher + browser alone is enough. Without account & profile separation, Google still builds a joined‑up picture and can sneak AI elements back into the same environment.

3. Focus on triggers, not just “AI” labels

Some of the worst interruptions are not explicitly branded as AI:

  • “Smart actions” in notifications
  • “Suggested replies” in messaging apps
  • Auto‑generated albums / stories in Photos
  • “Because you watched / read / searched” feeds

On Android and Chrome, look for anything named:

  • Smart suggestions
  • Smart actions
  • Smart replies
  • Recommended for you
  • Memories / Highlights / Stories

Turn those off ruthlessly, even if they never say “AI.” That cuts a lot of behavioral profiling and algorithmic nudging.

4. About the product title ‘’

There is not enough context here to know what exactly ‘’ is, but in general if you are using any additional tool, launcher or app branded under that title to “clean up” your UI, treat it like any other privacy tool:

Pros

  • May centralize toggles so you do not dig through every submenu
  • Can improve readability by stripping clutter, cards, and AI blocks
  • If it is a browser or wrapper, it can hide AI panels without touching your Google account

Cons

  • You are adding another layer that might itself collect data
  • If it relies on cosmetic hiding only, the AI is still running server side
  • Updates from Google can break its filters and layouts overnight

It can be part of the puzzle for readability and distraction reduction, but it is not a magic “turn off Google AI at the root” button.

5. Where I differ slightly from the others

  • I would not spend too much time hunting every new chrome://flags “AI” experiment. Those move constantly and are undocumented. Use them for a specific annoyance, sure, but rely more on:

    • Alternative search engines
    • Browser profiles
    • Network‑level blocking

  • I also think disabling all histories at account level, as suggested by both @viaggiatoresolare and @voyageurdubois, is good for privacy but not strictly necessary if your main pain is the UI clutter and workflow changes. You can keep some history for utility and still nuke the AI surfaces visually with blockers and profile separation.

6. Practical combo that works in daily life

If you want something that is maintainable:

  1. On desktop

    • Main browser: Firefox or Brave with uBlock Origin, non‑Google search
    • Secondary browser/profile: Chrome with Google login for Gmail/Drive only

  2. On phone

    • Non‑Google browser as default, non‑Google search
    • Third party launcher, no Google Discover panel
    • Google apps only inside a secondary profile or “work profile”

  3. Network

    • Simple DNS blocking at home to reduce Discover, YouTube recommendation noise

This way you are not trying to micromanage every evolving Google AI switch, but instead you reduce how often you even touch the places where Google experiments show up.