How to completely disable Google Discover on Android

by James · November 12, 2022

Google Discover (formerly Google Feed) is a convenient service built into most Android phones. It gives you the latest news from the world, business, technology, celebrities, hobbies and other trending topics. This feed is curated based on your search preferences and usage patterns.

Google lets you customize the Discover feed to your liking, but sometimes the topics Google Discover suggests may seem irrelevant and useless to you. Fortunately, you can disable Google Discover on your Android phone.

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Disable Google Discover from the home screen on Android

One of the fastest ways to disable Google Discover on your Android phone is to get rid of the embedded screen that appears when you swipe right from the home screen. This menu displays the Google Discover feed and Google search bar. Note that this may not appear on all Android phones, but only on select models running specific Android versions.

Here’s how to disable it.

Note: The steps below may look slightly different based on the make and model of your Android phone.

Step 1: Unlock your Android phone to see the home screen.

Step 2: Long press the screen until you see a menu appear on the screen. Then tap on Home Settings.

Step 3: Now look for a switch called Google (Google Discover on some phones) and tap it to disable Google Discover.

After this, you won’t see Google Discover in the Google app or even when you swipe right on the home screen to access the Google search bar.

Read the next section if you want to disable the Google Discover feed from the Google app and keep the Google search bar.

Disable Google Discover from the Google app

The official Google app displays the Google Discover feed by default. The content in the Discover feed is curated based on your searches and content preferences. However, this feed is rarely accurate. The Google app allows you to disable the Discover Feed and only show you the search bar when you open the app.

Here’s how to quickly disable Google Discover in the Google app on most Android phones:

Step 1: Open the Google app on your Android phone and tap your profile picture.

Step 2: From the menu that appears, tap Settings, followed by General.

Step 3: When you get to the General Settings screen, tap the switch next to Discover to enable or disable Google Discover.

After this, you can still access Google Search when you swipe from left to right on the Android home screen.

Disable Google Discover from Google Chrome on Android

Google Discover appears in the Google Chrome browser on your Android phone. That means when you open a new tab, you’ll see the Discover feed. It can be harmful if you frequently use Chrome on mobile data, as it may use some of it in the background to refresh the Discover feed. Fortunately, you can disable the Google Discover feed from a new tab in Google Chrome for a faster experience and save mobile data.

Here’s how to quickly disable the Google Discover feed from the new tab page on Google Chrome for Android:

Step 1: Open Google Chrome on your Android phone and open a new tab.

Step 2: When a new tab page opens, tap the gear-shaped icon below the pinned shortcuts.

Step 3: From the context menu that appears, tap turn off.

If you ever change your mind and want to re-enable Google Discover in Google Chrome, you can follow the same steps listed above. However, you need to tap Turn on in the second step to turn on Discover Feed in the Google Chrome browser on Android.

Get rid of Google Discover on Android

Google Discover Feed can be a good way to keep up with news and fresh content. However, it will rarely show you content you really want to read or explore. Fortunately, it’s easy to completely get rid of the Google Discover feed from the swipe-right menu, the Google app, and the new tab page of Google Chrome on your Android phone. That means you can enjoy a clutter-free and faster experience using these apps and interfaces.