Android phone always listening?

[Quattro Pete]

So, in older Android versions, there was a way to set up the phone where it would only listen for the magic "OK Google" phrase when the screen was on and unlocked, and that's what I'm trying to replicate on my current phone (Pixel 2).

Now, with the current Android version (9), there seems to be no way to do this based on my limited research. The phone will respond to "OK Google" even when the screen is off, which I don't want. What's more, even if you completely disable Google Assistant, it still continues to always listen, and if it hears you say "OK Google," it will start asking if you want to set up your Google Assistant.

People modify their app permissions to take away Google's access to the microphone, but that causes a bunch of other issues, so it does not help me.

Is there a way around this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/pixel2/comments/7l1vz8/turn_off_constant_listening/

 

[SZR48207]

Are you a developer? Because the only way to be sure is to examine the source code of anything running on your phone.

But even then, assume the radio chipset has backdoors built in for nat'l security reasons that would permit a third party to access the microphone, GPS, and camera.

 

[MoneyJohn]

To avoid anything and everything related to this, I always get a phone that is rootable. XDA is a wonderful community where a lot of info is available. I am not a developer (not even remotely) but the info is good enough that you can use it without much help. There is ALWAYS a chance of bricking a phone so you got to be careful.

Once your phone is rooted, you can remove a lot of software related to this functionality. If you wish, you can make your phone completely google-free (MicroG). But there is absolutely no way to figure out with 100% certainty if NS@ or similar has incorporated any code in the firmware of any of the radios. And this goes to every connected device (smart TV, Alexa-enabled devices etc).

 

[Falcon_LS]

I sometimes notice the screen on my Galaxy S8+ light up in the middle of a conversation I'm having with another person, because somehow Bixby was activated asking me to repeat what I "said". It does get annoying.

 

[thooks]

If any of you think what you say around internet-connected devices isn't being recorded and looked back on by software and humans, you are missing something.


There's way too many people with kids in the military/intelligence agencies that have verified this one way or another and there's just too many cases of people stating that they were talking about something, such as needing a new set of tires in casual conversation, and having internet ads pop up on sidebars or in scrolling of social media 12-24 hours later.

But keep on telling Alexia to turn the lights on and hit the 'chill' playlist...

 

[E150GT]

Originally Posted by Falcon_LS
I sometimes notice the screen on my Galaxy S8+ light up in the middle of a conversation I'm having with another person, because somehow Bixby was activated asking me to repeat what I "said". It does get annoying.

Bixby sucks. I downloaded an app to turn it off and remap the button to do nothing.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by E150GT
Originally Posted by Falcon_LS
I sometimes notice the screen on my Galaxy S8+ light up in the middle of a conversation I'm having with another person, because somehow Bixby was activated asking me to repeat what I "said". It does get annoying.

Bixby sucks. I downloaded an app to turn it off and remap the button to do nothing.

You can do that in Bixby settings.

With root you can program the Bixby button to do whatever you want.

 

[spackard]

> The phone will respond to "OK Google" even when the screen is off, which I don't want. What's more, even if you completely disable Google Assistant, it still continues to always listen, and if it hears you say "OK Google," it will start asking if you want to set up your Google Assistant.

On my Pixel 2 XL I don't use the assistant, and it won't respond to "OK Google".

Have you tried all the suggestions that come up when googling pixel 2 disable google assistant?

"Access with Voice Match" is turned off on my phone, as is "Unlock with Voice Match".
"While driving" is turned on; occasionally I like to say where I'm driving rather than trying to key it in on a tiny kbd.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by spackard
Have you tried all the suggestions that come up when googling pixel 2 disable google assistant?

"Access with Voice Match" is turned off on my phone, as is "Unlock with Voice Match".
"While driving" is turned on; occasionally I like to say where I'm driving rather than trying to key it in on a tiny kbd.

I have. Again, I am not trying to completely disable Google Assistant. I want it to react only when the screen is unlocked, and not react when the screen is off/locked. This used to be an option in older Android versions.

 

[LoneRanger]

I have an older phone, a Moto X 2nd gen I got in January 2016 that is locked to Lollipop 5.1 (Android) that listens all the time. I use a custom trigger word instead of "Ok Google." But the phone will still spin up even from screen lock when it thinks it hears syllables uttered that bear enough phonetic similarity to the custom trigger word. I set the custom word through the built-in proprietary Moto Voice feature instead of the Google setup so that may be part of it.

I also set the language to English(UK) to get a cooler female voice than the default Google voice. Produces a halfway decent female British accent, actually. Side effect of that is the Google spell check always suggests UK spellings . . .