Turn Off Google Discover on Android: Step-by-Step

Google Discover is the feed of cards that appears when you swipe right on your Android home screen or open the Google app. It shows news, sports scores, and other articles based on your interests and search history. If you find it distracting, cluttered, or just don’t use it, you can turn it off in a few taps. This guide walks you through disabling Discover on both the home screen and inside the Google app, and covers what to do if the option isn’t where you expect it.

What You’ll Need

An Android phone or tablet with the Google app installed (it’s preinstalled on most devices).
Your device’s home screen launcher – the steps differ slightly if you use a third-party launcher like Nova or Microsoft Launcher.
About two minutes of time.

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Turn Off Discover on the Home Screen (Pixel, Stock Android, and Most Phones)

Unlock your phone and go to the home screen. Make sure you’re on the main home screen, not inside an app.
Long-press on an empty area of the home screen. Hold your finger down for about a second until the screen vibrates or a menu appears. This opens the home screen customization mode.
Tap “Home settings” or “Settings” – the exact wording varies by phone. On Pixel devices, you’ll see a gear icon labeled “Home settings.” On Samsung phones, you may need to tap the three-dot menu in the bottom right and then select “Home screen settings.”
Look for the “Swipe to access Google” or “Discover” toggle. It’s usually near the top of the settings list. On Pixel, it’s labeled “Swipe to access Google.” On some other phones, it’s simply called “Discover” or “Google Discover.”
Toggle the switch off. Once you turn it off, the Discover feed will no longer appear when you swipe right on the home screen. You might see a blank screen or just your regular home screen panels.
Exit settings. Tap the back button or press your phone’s home button. The change takes effect immediately.

Method 2: Turn Off Discover Inside the Google App

If you open the Google app and see the feed there, you can disable it from within the app itself.

Open the Google app. It’s the app with the “Google” logo or a colorful “G” icon.
Tap your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
Tap “General” (or “Your data in Search” on some versions).
Find the “Discover” section. You’ll see a toggle labeled “Discover.” Turn it off. This stops the feed from appearing when you open the Google app.

Method 3: If You Use a Third-Party Launcher

Open your launcher’s settings. For example, in Nova Launcher, long-press the home screen, tap “Settings,” then “Integrations.” In Microsoft Launcher, go to Settings > Personalization.
Look for “Google Discover” or “Feed” options. Each launcher is different. You might find a toggle to disable the feed entirely, or you might need to change what happens when you swipe right.
Turn off the feed or set it to “None.” If you can’t find a specific toggle, you can often just remove the Discover page by editing your home screen panels – long-press the blank area, swipe to the Discover page, and tap the “X” or “Remove” icon.

Common Mistakes

Looking for the wrong setting name. “Discover” is not always labeled that way. On some phones it’s “Swipe to access Google,” on others it’s “Feed” or “Google App.” Check all the toggles in home settings.
Turning off notifications instead of the feed. Disabling notifications for the Google app stops alerts but does not remove the Discover page. You need to turn off the feed itself.
Only clearing the feed temporarily. Swiping away individual cards or tapping “Hide” on a story just removes that one item. It doesn’t disable Discover.
Forgetting that the Google app still shows Discover. Even if you turn it off on the home screen, the Google app may still show the feed until you disable it there too.

Tips

Use “Pause” instead of “Off” if you want to keep your preferences. Some versions of the Google app let you pause Discover. This hides the feed but keeps your interests and history so you can resume later without re-training the algorithm.
If you only want fewer recommendations, adjust your interests. Instead of turning off Discover entirely, you can tap the three-dot menu on any card and select “Not interested” or “Mute” to refine what appears.
Check your phone manufacturer’s support page. Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and others sometimes move the toggle to a different menu. A quick search for “your phone model + turn off Discover” will give you the exact path.
You can always turn it back on. The toggle is reversible – just follow the same steps and switch it on again.

Troubleshooting

I don’t see the “Home settings” option when I long-press the home screen. This can happen if you’re using a custom launcher or if your phone’s UI is heavily modified. Try pressing and holding on a blank spot for a longer time, or check your launcher’s settings app. On Samsung, you can also go to Settings > Display > Navigation bar and then tap “Home screen settings.”

The toggle is grayed out or won’t switch off. This sometimes occurs if the Google app is disabled or not updated. Go to the Play Store, search for “Google,” and tap “Update.” If it’s already updated, try clearing the Google app’s cache: Settings > Apps > Google > Storage > Clear Cache, then restart your phone.

Discover still appears after I turned it off. Double-check that you turned off the correct toggle. On some phones, there are two separate settings – one for the home screen and one for the Google app. Turn off both. Also, restart your phone to ensure the change takes full effect.

I can’t find any Discover-related setting at all. If your phone is older or running a very basic version of Android, the option might be missing. In that case, the simplest fix is to use a different launcher that doesn’t include a Discover feed, or to just ignore the feed and swipe right past it.

Turning off Discover didn’t free up any space or improve battery life. That’s normal – Discover is just a UI page, not a background process. It doesn’t use significant resources when you’re not looking at it. If you’re concerned about battery, focus on other settings like screen brightness or background app limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will turning off Discover delete my search history or preferences?
A: No. Disabling the feed only hides it. Your Google account data, search history, and interests remain intact. You can re-enable Discover later and it will still know what you like.

Q: Can I turn off Discover on just one home screen but keep it on another?
A: No. The setting applies to the entire home screen setup. If you have multiple home screen pages, Discover is either on or off for all of them.

Q: Does turning off Discover affect Google Assistant or Google Search?
A: No. Discover is a separate feature. You can still use Google Assistant, voice search, and the Google app’s search bar normally.

Q: Why do I see Discover on my lock screen?
A: That’s a different feature called “At a Glance” or “Lock screen widgets.” To remove it, go to Settings > Display > Lock screen and turn off “At a Glance” or “Show widgets.”

Q: Will this work on Samsung phones?
A: Yes, but the exact menu path may differ. On Samsung, long-press the home screen, tap the three-dot menu, select “Home screen settings,” and then toggle off “Swipe to access Google.” If you don’t see that option, your Samsung may use a different feed – check for “Google Discover” in the same settings.

Q: Can I turn off Discover without using the Google app?
A: Not directly. The toggle lives inside the Google app or the home screen settings, both of which require the Google app to be installed. If you uninstall or disable the Google app, Discover will disappear, but you’ll also lose Google Search integration on your home screen.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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