X

How to Reduce AI Features on Your Pixel Phone

You can't get rid of AI on your phone, but you can reduce it. Here's how.

Headshot of Blake Stimac
Headshot of Blake Stimac
Blake Stimac Writer
Blake has over a decade of experience writing for the web, with a focus on mobile phones, where he covered the smartphone boom of the 2010s and the broader tech scene. When he's not in front of a keyboard, you'll most likely find him playing video games, watching horror flicks, or hunting down a good churro.
Blake Stimac
3 min read
A Pixel 10 Pro phone lying face down amid leaves and grass.

Here's how to de-Gemini your Pixel phone as much as possible.

 Andrew Lanxon/CNET

Pixel phones are built with AI at their core, and that's exactly how Google has been positioning its devices over the past couple of years. Gemini is around every corner on Google's phones, and there may be a handful of AI features that you don't use or even care to use. 

While AI is pretty much unavoidable on Pixels, Google gives you some options to disable features in apps and at the system level, but it's nowhere as easy as it is to disable AI on your Google account itself. Nonetheless, if you want to reduce the amount of AI on your Pixel phone, you've come to the right place. 

CNET AI Atlas badge; click here for more

For this article, I'm using a Pixel 10 Pro XL, which has more AI baked in than any previous generation, though some of these steps may apply to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 series of devices.

Uninstall or disable AI-driven apps or features

Disabling some of the AI settings may affect other parts of your phone, so take note of the features you turn off so you know to enable them again if your Pixel starts acting odd. 

Journal 

New for the Pixel 10 is the AI-centric Journal app. Though the app is an interesting idea, it's one of the first expendable apps you can uninstall. 

Screenshots

The Pixel 9 introduced a dedicated screenshots app that would process the content within them to make them easily searchable. You can choose to uninstall the app completely or head to the app settings and toggle the Search your screenshots with on-device AI to off.

If you previously had this feature enabled, you'll have the option to delete all of the AI summaries and metadata created from the previously processed screenshots.

Google Photos 

AI is front and center in Google Photos, but you can reduce Gemini features in the app with a few taps. 

  • Tap your profile icon
  • Photos settings
  • Preferences
  • Gemini features in Photos

From here, you can disable Gemini completely in Photos or turn off individual features, like Ask Photos, Gemini-powered memories and Help me title. 

Disable the following apps:

  • Pixel Studio
  • AI-Core.
  • Private computer services
  • Android System Intelligence

Messages

In messages, Google added a dedicated Gemini button that you can choose to remove if you don't want to see it.  

  • Open Messages
  • Tap your profile icon
  • Tap Message settings
  • Tap Gemini in Messages
  • Toggle Show Gemini button to off

Phone app settings

The Pixel phone app is loaded with AI features that are pretty nifty, but you can turn them off easily in the settings. 

  • Open the Phone app
  • Tap the menu button at the top left
  • Tap settings
  • You can disable the AI features under the Call Assist section

Disable Circle to Search

Another feature you may or may not use is Circle to Search. It's baked right into your Pixel, so here's how to turn it off if you don't use or want it. 

  • Go to Settings
  • Tap Display & touch
  • Tap Navigation Mode
  • Toggle Circle to Search to off

Remove AI mode from the Google Search

The Pixel Launcher's Google Search added an AI mode button to the static search bar on the home screen, but you can remove it if you want a cleaner look. 

  • Open the Google App
  • Tap your profile icon
  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Customize Pixel Search Box
  • Toggle AI Mode to off

Revert back to Google Assistant

Gemini is the primary digital assistant on Pixel phones, so if you want to switch back to Google Assistant, here's how to do it. Keep in mind that Gemini is set to replace Google Assistant, so this option may not be available in the future.

  • Open Gemini
  • Tap your profile icon
  • Tap Switch to Google Assistant
  • Confirm your selection
  • Tap Switch

Uninstall Gemini 

Once you've reverted to Google Assistant, go ahead and uninstall Gemini. If you want, take a look at your Gemini Apps Activity beforehand and delete any old data you don't want Google hanging onto.Â