Google Assistant’s smart speakers and monitors are designed to hear voice commands and respond with responses. However, you may not want your Google Home or Nest to be listening all the time. That’s where the mute button comes in.
Before we start, it’s important to understand what it means when we talk about devices like the Google Nest Mini and the Nest Hub “listening”. These devices are technically “listening” all the time, but not recording you all the time.
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A speaker or smart screen is like a dog. He can hear you whenever you speak, but he recognizes only a few commands. The Google Assistant doesn’t really start “listening” (recording) until you hear “Ok Google” or “Ok Google”.
That said, it is possible to completely prevent the device from hearing you. Google has included physical mute switches on all Google Assistant-enabled devices. When you slide this switch, the microphones are turned off and the device does not hear or respond.
These mute switches can be found on the rear or bottom of the devices. We’ll help you find the keys on some of the common devices enabled for Google Assistant.
Tip: When the switch shows orange, you know that the microphone is off.
In Google Nest Mini / Home Mini, the key is located at the bottom.
In Google Nest Audio, the key is located on the back.
In the Google Nest Hub, the key is located at the back of the screen.
To turn the microphones back on, you will need to activate the button manually. It may seem complicated to need a physical switch for this, but it is the best way to really ensure that the microphones are off.