Google’s Gemini is a powerful AI assistant, but not everyone wants it integrated into their phone. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of the Gemini app, this article will show you how-to disable or completely remove the Gemini app from your phone, putting you back in control.
Understanding the Difference Between Disabling and Removing Gemini
Before we start, it’s helpful to know the difference between disabling and removing an app. When you disable an app, it remains on your phone but won’t run in the background or appear in your app drawer. Choose this option if you think you might want to use the app again later. Removing (basically means uninstalling) the app, means that it gets deleted from your phone entirely. If you want it back, you’ll need to reinstall it from the Google App store.
Video Tutorial for Disabling & Removing Gemini
How-to Completely Disable and Remove the Gemini App on Android
For many Android users, Gemini can feel deeply integrated. Here’s how you can tackle its removal or at least put it on pause.
Switching Back to Google Assistant
Often, the main goal is to stop Gemini from being the default Google Assistant that pops up when you say “Hey Google” or long-press the power button. There are 2 different ways to get to the settings for this:
Step 1 from Google Gemini App Settings
- Open the Gemini app.
- Tap on your profile picture (in the top-right corner)
- Select "Switch to Google Assistant"
- Select ‘Google Assistant’
Step 2 from Phone Settings
- Open the main "Settings" of your phone
- Locate and Tap "Google"
- Select "All services"
- Select "Search, Assistant and Voice"
- Select "Gemini"
- (scrool down the screen) Select "Digital Assistant from Google"
- Choose your digital assistant switch to Google Assistant
Simply switch to preferred Google Assistant. This action restores Google Assistant as your android device’s primary digital helper without completely uninstalling Gemini from your phone.
How-to Completely Uninstall Gemini
If you’ve decided you want the Gemini app gone for good, the process can sometimes be as simple as uninstalling any other app from your device. However, due to its integration, you might need to take extra steps.
- Go to the Google Play Store on your Android device
- Search for “Google Gemini”
- If the app is installed, you should see an ‘Uninstall’ button. Tap it to remove the app
If you can’t find the ‘Uninstall’ option or if Gemini is integrated with the main Google app, you may need to remove it through your phone’s settings.
- Open the main "Settings" of your phone
- Tap "Apps" and "Apps Management"
- Select "Gemini"
- Press on "Uninstall"
Disabling the Gemini App on Google Phones
For phones (e.g. Google Pixel) where Gemini is more baked into the system, disabling it is your best bet.
- Open your phone’s ‘Settings’ app.
- Navigate to ‘Apps’ or ‘Applications’.
- Find and tap on ‘Gemini’ or, in some cases, the ‘Google’ app.
- If you can’t uninstall it, you should see a ‘Disable’ button or “Force Stop”. Tapping this will prevent the app from running.
Managing Your Gemini Activity and Data
Even after you disable or remove the Gemini app, your past activity might still be saved to your Google Account. If you want to delete this data, you can do so by managing your Google Activity.
How to Delete Your Gemini Apps Activity
- Go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini on your phone’s browser.
- Here you can view all your past interactions you’ve made with Gemini.
- You have the option to delete specific activities, or, your entire Gemini history.
- You can also turn on/off future Gemini Apps Activity from being saved to your account.
What About Gemini on iPhone?
Now that Gemini is available on the iPhone, the settings for disabling and uninstalling are the same as steps mentioned above.
Taking Back Control on Your Phone
Deciding to remove or disable the Gemini app is all about personal preference and how you want to interact with your phone. By following these steps, you can easily switch back to your preferred assistant, or completely remove the app from your device.
Re-enabling Gemini
Changed your mind or just curious to see what’s new? Getting Gemini back on your phone is just as straightforward as removing it. Whether you disabled it or uninstalled it completely, you can easily restore its functionality.
How-to Re-Enable a Disabled Gemini App
If you only disabled the app, it’s still on your phone waiting to be switched back on. Here is how you switch back to Gemini as your Google Assistant.
- Open your phone’s ‘Settings’ app.
- Go to the ‘Apps’ or ‘Applications’ menu.
- You might need to filter your app list to show ‘Disabled apps’.
- Find ‘Gemini’ in the list and tap on it.
- Press the ‘Enable’ button to bring it back to life.
How-to Reinstall the Gemini App
If you completely removed the app from your device, you’ll need to download it again from the Google Play Store.
- Launch the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
- Use the search bar at the top to type in “Google Gemini“.
- Select the official app from the search results.
- Tap the ‘Install’ button to download and install it on your device.
Once reinstalled, you may need to open the app and set it as your default assistant again if you wish to use voice commands or shortcuts to access it.
Google’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools and technology by far is the best available, but if you’re not using it, then, disabling and or removing it can improve your device performance as well as usability of your smartphone.
