Google Assistant Smart Speakers and Screens are designed to listen to voice commands and respond with answers. However, you may not want to have to listen to Google Home or Nest all the time. This is where the damping switch comes in.
Before we get started, it’s important to understand what it means when we talk about devices like the Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub that ‘listen’. These devices technically “listen” all the time, but they are not recording your all the time.
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A smart speaker or show is like a dog. You can hear it when you speak, but it only recognizes certain commands. Google Assistant does not really start “listening” (recording) until it hears “OK Google” or “Hey Google”.
That being said, it is possible to completely prevent the device from hearing you. Google has included physical mute switches on all devices enabled by Google Assistant. If you move this switch, the microphones will be turned off and the device will not listen or respond.
These damping switches can be found on the back or bottom of the appliances. We’ll help you locate the switches on some common Google Assistant devices.
Clue: If the switch is orange, you know the microphone is off.
On the Google Nest Mini / Home Mini, the switch is located at the bottom.
On the Google Nest Audio, the switch is located on the back.
On the Google Nest Hub, the switch is found at the back of the screen.
To turn the microphones back on, you have to turn the switch on manually again. It may feel cumbersome to need a physical switch for this, but it’s the best way to make sure the microphones are off.