If you’ve noticed artificial intelligence creeping into every corner of your phone without asking permission, you’re not imagining it. Google, Apple and Samsung have all built AI features into their devices and search tools that are switched on by default, often without a simple master switch to turn them off. But there are ways to push back and reclaim control over your own device.
Google’s AI Overviews are the most visible example. These AI-generated summaries appear above traditional search results whenever Google decides an answer might be helpful. Google itself confirms there is no standard Search setting to permanently disable AI Overviews. Still, users have workarounds.
One trick is adding “-AI” to the end of a search query, for example searching “best walking shoes -AI” instead of just “best walking shoes.” This is unofficial and not guaranteed to work every time, since the minus sign tells Google to exclude results containing that term, which can also filter out legitimate pages. A more reliable option is Google’s built-in Web filter, which displays plain text-based links without an AI Overview. The catch is that you typically have to re-select that filter each time you start a new search.
For those who want AI out of their search experience entirely, DuckDuckGo offers a dedicated alternative called DuckDuckGo No-AI, accessible at noai.duckduckgo.com. The company says this version strips out AI-assisted answers, AI feature suggestions, and filters AI-generated images from image search results, though it acknowledges the image filtering isn’t foolproof. You don’t need to change your phone’s default search engine to use it. Apple also makes it straightforward to switch your default search engine on devices running iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, though setting DuckDuckGo as default doesn’t automatically turn on its No-AI mode.
Reining in Siri and Apple Intelligence
On the iPhone, swiping down on the Home Screen to search often triggers a list of app suggestions generated by Siri based on your activity. Apple allows users to turn off those suggestions, along with suggestions in the App Library and when sharing content, through Settings. These controls affect where suggestions appear but do not disable Siri itself.
Apple’s newer, more conversational Siri AI is available in beta on iPhones running iOS 27, and requires an Apple Intelligence-compatible device such as the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 and later. Availability depends on language and region. Users who enabled the beta can revert to the previous Siri experience, and those who never want it can simply leave it off.
Apple Intelligence can also summarize notifications, messages and emails. These AI summaries can sometimes leave out details or misread the original text. Users who prefer to read messages in full can disable AI notification summaries, Messages summaries, and the Summarize Message Previews option in Mail settings on compatible devices running iOS 27.
Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel controls
Samsung has built a range of Galaxy AI tools into its phones for calls, photos and daily suggestions. The company provides individual controls for many of these features, though it notes that some AI functions are embedded in the operating system and cannot be turned off, and available settings vary by model. Samsung recommends restarting the device after disabling any Galaxy AI feature.
Samsung’s “Now brief” feature displays personalized information on the Lock screen, including upcoming events, and can be disabled there, though doing so doesn’t remove the feature from the phone entirely. Users concerned about data being sent to the cloud for processing can set supported Galaxy AI features to process information locally instead, though some features require an internet connection and may stop working without it. Circle to Search, which lets users search for something on screen, can also be switched off if it’s triggered accidentally.
Google Pixel phones carry their own anticipatory AI features, including Magic Cue on supported Pixel 10 models and the newer Proactive Assistance on Pixel 11 devices in markets including the United States. Proactive Assistance is opt-in and can use screen content, notifications, connected apps and location data to generate suggestions; it can be switched off directly, and users can control which apps it accesses. Magic Cue can similarly be adjusted on supported devices. Circle to Search is also available on Pixel phones and can be disabled under System settings. The Pixel Screenshots app, which can summarize and search saved screenshots using AI, can have those features turned off, with an option to delete previously generated AI summaries and metadata.
Gemini and the voice assistant wake word
Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, can launch on many Android phones through the phrase “Hey Google” or by holding the power button. Users who trigger it accidentally can turn off the wake phrase response while still opening the app manually when wanted. On Samsung Galaxy phones, the equivalent control is found by searching Settings for “Side button.” Google also allows users to switch back to Google Assistant as the phone’s default through the Gemini app, though doing so does not uninstall Gemini or erase prior activity with it.
There is no single switch that removes every AI feature across iPhones and Android devices. Some functions are embedded directly into the operating system, while others come from individual apps and online services. But reviewing these settings and disabling unused features can give users more say over how much AI involvement they want in daily phone use, separate from whatever defaults a manufacturer chooses to ship.
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