Smartphone Honor 9, despite its age, remains a popular device due to its high-quality screen and performance. However, for many users, the built-in features of modern operating systems become a source of irritation. In particular, Google Assistant it is often activated accidentally when unlocking the phone or simply pressing the Home button. This is not only distracting, but can also drain battery power in the background.
The process of deactivating this service is not always obvious, since Android manufacturers and developers periodically change the location of items in the settings menu. On the shell EMUIthat is installed on your device, managing the assistant has its own specific features. In this article, we will analyze in detail all the available ways to completely disable voice control.
You will learn how to prevent calling the assistant through a button, how to disable the “Ok Google” function and what hidden settings can affect the operation of the service. We will also consider alternative options if standard disabling for some reason is not available in your firmware version.
Disabling through Google Assistant settings
The most reliable and correct way to remove unnecessary functions is to disable them directly in the settings of the service itself. You will need to go to the application Googlewhich is pre-installed on every certified Android device. This action does not delete the application, but completely paralyzes its voice functions.
First, open the list of all applications and find the icon with the letter “G”. After launching the application, click on your profile icon in the upper right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, select Settings, and then go to the Google Assistantsection. This is where all the levers for controlling the behavior of the smart assistant are concentrated.
Inside the assistant menu, find the tab Assistant (sometimes it is called “Devices” or has a smartphone icon). Scroll down to the very bottom of the list. You will see a switch labeled Google Assistant. Move it to the inactive position. The system may ask you to confirm your actions, warning you that some functions will stop working.
⚠️ Attention: After completing this procedure, the Home button will no longer trigger voice search when pressed for a long time. Instead, it will simply return you to the desktop or do nothing, depending on the version of EMUI.
It is worth noting that the settings interface may vary slightly depending on the region and version of the Google application. If you don't find the switch right away, use the search inside the settings menu by entering the word "Assistant". This will allow you to quickly go to the desired section, bypassing complex navigation paths.
☑️ Check before disconnecting
Blocking activation with the Home button
The smartphone Honor 9 uses a touch navigation button, which by default is configured to call the voice assistant when pressed for a long time. For many users, this is the most common reason for random activations. When you just want to unlock the phone and accidentally hold your finger, an unnecessary service starts.
To change the behavior of the button, you need to go to the system settings of the smartphone itself, and not the Google application. Go to the main menu Settings of your device. Find a section that may be called Smart Help, Special Features or Home button. In different versions of EMUI firmware, this item is located differently.
Inside this section, look for the option responsible for the action when pressed for a long time. It is usually formulated as Action of the Home button or Calling a voice assistant. You need to change the value from "Google Assistant" to "Nothing" or "Search". If you select “Nothing”, the long press will be ignored by the system.
- 📱 Go to the phone settings, not the application.
- ⚙️ Find the section for managing navigation or special capabilities.
- 🚫 Set the long press action to “Nothing” mode.
If your menu doesn’t have an explicit item for changing the button action, try resetting the default application settings. Sometimes third-party launchers or system updates block access to this option. In this case, temporarily changing the launcher to a standard one, changing the settings and returning to the familiar interface will help.
If you have a navigation bar with three buttons enabled, try switching to gesture controls in the screen settings. This will completely eliminate the problem of accidentally pressing a physical or touch button.
Disabling the “Hey Google” function
Even if you have turned off the call with the button, the smartphone may continue to listen to you in the background, waiting for the passphrase. The feature "Ok Google" runs constantly when activated, which could theoretically affect privacy and power consumption. Disabling this option ensures that the phone will not respond to voice commands from your pocket or another room.
Go back to the Google app settings as described in the first section. In the menu Google Assistant select item "Okay, Google" (or Voice Match). Here you will see a switch that allows hot phrase recognition. Switch it to the off state.
After turning it off, the system will offer to delete the saved model of your voice. It is recommended that you agree to this to clear your data cache. This action is irreversible for the current session, and if you want to use voice control again, you will have to go through the speech recognition training procedure again.
| Setting parameter | Default state | Recommended state | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Assistant | Enabled | Disabled | Complete deactivation of the service |
| "Okay, Google" | Enabled | Disabled | Disable background listening |
| Action of the Home button | Assistant | Nothing / Search | Blocking accidental launch |
| Access on the lock screen | Allowed | Forbidden | Increasing data security |
It is important to understand the difference between completely disabling the assistant and simply banning a hot phrase. If you leave the Assistant on but turn off Hey Google, you can still call it manually via a widget or button, but it won't respond to voice without your direct input.
Prohibiting access from the lock screen
One of the most critical moments in setting privacy is accessing phone functions without unlocking. By default Google Assistant can answer questions and execute commands even when the screen Honor 9 is locked. This means that anyone picking up your phone can find out your appointment schedule or send a message.
To limit this ability, again go to the Assistant settings in the Google app. Find the section Lock screen or Personal results. There should be an option in this menu Access from the lock screen. Make sure the switch is in the “Off” position.
Also check the security settings of the smartphone itself. Go to Settings → Security → Lock screen settings. Make sure that the setting "Show notifications on the lock screen" is configured to hide sensitive information. The assistant often uses data from notifications to generate responses.
⚠️ Attention: Disabling access from the lock screen does not affect the operation of alarms or timers, but makes it impossible to use the phone as a voice recorder or search engine without entering a PIN code or fingerprint.
This measure is especially important if you often leave your phone unattended in public places. Even with the screen turned off, an attacker can try to exploit vulnerabilities in the voice interface to gain access to your data.
Removing updates and resetting settings
In rare cases, standard switches may be inactive or not work correctly due to errors in the firmware. If you are faced with the fact that the assistant does not turn off or constantly turns on itself, reset the Google application settings to the factory state. This will remove all updates and return the app to the original version.
To do this, go to Settings phone, select the section Applications and find Googlein the list. Click on the button Memory or Storage. In the menu that opens, you will see a button Uninstall updates or Reset settings. Confirm the action.
After performing the reset, the phone may automatically start downloading updates again. To prevent this and maintain a “clean” version without an assistant, you can temporarily disable auto-update in the store Play Market. However, be aware that older versions of apps may contain security vulnerabilities.
What happens when you uninstall updates?
Resetting a Google app removes all voice search data, search history, and personalized settings. The application will return to the version that was installed at the factory when you purchased Honor 9. In some older versions, the assistant functionality was less intrusive or absent altogether.
This method is radical and should be used only if soft settings did not help. After the reset, you'll have to reconfigure contact syncing and other Google services associated with the app.
Resetting an app is an effective way to fix software bugs that prevent features from being disabled, but it requires re-setting up the service initially.
Impact on battery life and performance
Many users wonder if turning off the voice assistant saves battery power. In theory, background speech recognition processes and constant microphone activity consume CPU resources. In practice, on modern devices the optimization is so high that the difference may not be noticeable in everyday use.
However, on a device Honor 9which is no longer the flagship of recent years, every percent of the charge counts. Turning off Google background services may slightly extend screen time. This is especially noticeable if you have a poor network signal, since the communication modules and processor work more actively when constantly exchanging data with the assistant servers.
In addition, part of the RAM is freed up. Although Android knows how to manage memory efficiently, having an extra active service can affect the speed of switching between heavy applications. If you use your phone for gaming or graphics work, disabling unnecessary services can give a small performance boost.
- 🔋 Battery savings can range from 2% to 5% per day depending on usage scenarios.
- 🚀 Freeing up RAM improves multitasking on older devices.
- 🔒 The level of privacy increases by stopping background listening.
However, you should not expect a miracle. The main consumers of energy remain the screen, the cellular module and bright applications. Disabling the assistant is more of a measure to increase comfort and privacy than a way to radically solve the problem of fast discharge.
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces and menu names may change after major updates to Android or EMUI. If you do not find the item described, check the official reference materials for your specific firmware version.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to completely remove Google Assistant from Honor 9?
Complete removal of the Google Assistant system application without root access is impossible, since it is built into system. However, you can disable its features, remove updates, and deny access to the microphone, which will effectively make it inoperable.
Why does the assistant still launch after disabling it?
This could be due to third-party applications that use the Voice Search API, or because you only disabled the “Ok Google” feature, but not the service itself. Check the Home button settings in the Accessibility section.
Does disabling it affect the operation of other Google applications?
No, Google Search, Maps, YouTube and Mail do not depend on the activity of the voice assistant. You can continue to use all the services of the ecosystem, just without the possibility of voice control.
How can I return all the settings back if I change my mind?
To return, just go to the Google application settings again and activate the switch Google Assistant. You may need to reconfigure the voice model if you deleted it previously.
Is there an alternative to Google Assistant on Honor?
Yes, Honor smartphones often have their own voice assistant, which can be activated in the settings. You can also install third-party assistants from the Play Market, such as Alice from Yandex, if you need an alternative.