Google Listening to You :Here’s 3 ways to Stop It

Our smartphones/Google have become an essential part of our everyday lives due to the rapid growth of technology. Nevertheless, this has also led to privacy worries, such as the query, “Is my phone listening to me?” This post will examine the various motivations behind yourGoogle Listening behavior and offer a thorough how-to on blocking it.

Why DoGoogle Listening to You?

1. Voice-activated features: Voice-activated features, such virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, are a common feature of smartphones. In order to use these functions, your phone must be actively listening/Google Listening for certain trigger words (such “Hey Siri” or “OK Google”) in order for the virtual assistant to respond to your command. Prior to utilizing the voice activation process, make sure your Prepaid SIM card has internet access.
2. Targeted advertising : Seeing relevant adverts following a chat about a certain product or service is one of the main reasons consumers think their phone is listening to them. Researchers and privacy groups contend that some apps may use the microphone on your phone to gather information for targeted advertising, though this is still up for debate. It’s simple to adjust your privacy settings appropriately.
3. Third-party apps : Certain third-party apps, including messaging apps that include voice messaging or recording functions, might need access to your phone’s microphone in order to work properly. Giving these apps access to your microphone, though, can allow them to overhear your chats.

How to Stop Your Google Listening ?

1.Review app permissions : Examining and controlling program permissions is one of the best strategies to stop your Google Listening to you. This entails determining which applications are able to use your microphone and turning off access for those that are not in use.

For Android devices

• Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions > Microphone
• Review the list of apps and toggle off microphone access for any unnecessary apps

For iOS devices

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone
• Review the list of apps and toggle off microphone access for any unnecessary apps

2.Disable voice-activated features

If you are concerned about your phone listening for trigger words, you can disable voice-activated features on your device.

For Siri on iOS devices

• Go to Settings > Siri & Search
• Toggle off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” and “Press Side Button for Siri”

For Google Assistant on Android devices

• Open the Google app > More > Settings > Voice > Voice Match
• Toggle off “Access with Voice Match” and “Unlock with Voice Match”

3.Cover your phone’s microphone from Google Listening

If you are still worried that your phone is listening to you, as a last resort, you might choose to physically cover the microphone on your phone with a small piece of adhesive tape. While it might not be a useful solution for daily use, this can offer some comfort during delicate discussions.

Turn Off Microphone Access for the Google App

1. Open Settings on your phone and select Apps & notifications (starting with Android 12, this is just Apps).
2. Tap See all X apps to get a full list of what you have installed.
3. Scroll down to Google and select it.
4. Tap Permissions and select the Microphone option.
5. Choose Deny (or Don’t allow, depending on your phone) for this permission. You’ll have to accept a prompt that some parts of your device might not work as intended, which is normal.

conclusion :

We’ve covered how to remove your speech history data, what Google Listening for on your Android phone, and how to halt this recording. Disabling these features could cause you some trouble, but it’s worth it to know that Google isn’t recording your speech.It’s likely that your computer also contains a microphone. Remember that there may also be a privacy risk with this.