How to Turn Off AI Features on Your Samsung Galaxy Phone in the US

Galaxy AI packs a lot into a Samsung phone: live translation on calls, writing help in your keyboard, photo editing that can move objects around, and a search trick that starts with circling something on screen. Some people love all of it. Others find the features popping up at the wrong moment, or simply prefer a phone that does less on its own. The good news is that you can switch Galaxy AI off, either all at once or one feature at a time.

The exact menu names can vary a little by model and software version, so the steps below match most recent versions of One UI. If a setting sits in a slightly different place on your phone, use the search bar at the top of Settings to find it by name.

Step 1: Open the Galaxy AI settings page

Start in the Settings app. Scroll down and tap Galaxy AI. This one page lists most of the AI features on your phone, each with its own switch. Turning a switch off stops that feature, and nothing else changes. Your photos, messages and apps stay exactly where they are.

If you do not see Galaxy AI in Settings, your phone may be running an older software version, or your model may not support the full set of features. Check Settings, then Software update, then Download and install, to see if an update is waiting. Galaxy AI launched on the Galaxy S24 series and has since spread to many newer Galaxy phones and tablets.

Step 2: Switch off the features you do not use

On the Galaxy AI page, work through the list and turn off anything you do not want. Circle to Search lets you search by circling or tapping anything on screen, and you can switch it off here. Chat Assist offers writing style suggestions and translations in Samsung Keyboard. Note Assist can summarise and format your notes in Samsung Notes. Transcript Assist turns voice recordings into written text. Browsing Assist summarises web pages in Samsung Internet, and Photo Assist offers generative edits in the Gallery app.

Interpreter and Live Translate handle real-time translation, on screen and during phone calls. If you travel or talk with people in other languages, these two are worth keeping, but they can be switched off like the rest. There is no penalty for turning a feature off and back on later, so switch off the ones that annoy you and turn back anything you miss.

Step 3: Choose on-device processing if you keep some features

While you are on the Galaxy AI page, look for the option about processing data on your device. When this is switched on, supported AI features run on the phone itself instead of sending data to Samsung’s servers.

If privacy is the reason you are turning features off, this setting is worth a look before you switch everything off. You may find that keeping one or two features with on-device processing gives you the convenience without the worry. The setting sits near the bottom of the Galaxy AI page in most recent versions.

Step 4: Turn off Gemini as your phone assistant

Galaxy AI is only part of the picture. Many Samsung phones also ship with Google Gemini as the default digital assistant, which answers when you long-press the side button or say “Hey Google.” If you would rather have no AI assistant, or go back to the older Google Assistant, you can change that too.

Go to Settings, then Apps, then Choose default apps, then Digital assistant app. From there you can pick a different assistant, or choose None to switch the assistant off entirely. In most recent versions, you can also open the Gemini app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, and switch off Gemini. A separate option in Settings, under Advanced features and then Side button, controls what a long-press of the side button does, so you can set it to open the power menu instead of waking an assistant.

Step 5: Quiet the AI extras in the keyboard and camera

A few AI touches live outside the Galaxy AI page. Samsung Keyboard can suggest writing help as you type, and you can switch that off in the keyboard settings: open any app where you can type, tap the settings gear on the keyboard toolbar, and look for the writing or smart typing options. In the Camera app, features such as scene optimiser and shot suggestions can be switched off from the camera settings gear.

The Gallery app is worth a quick check too. Photo Assist and its object erase tools only run when you open them, so there is nothing to switch off if you simply never tap them. But if you want the editing screen to stay simple, leave those tools alone and use the basic crop and rotate options instead.

What changes when you switch Galaxy AI off

Turning off Galaxy AI does not remove anything from your phone, and it does not affect calls, texts, the camera or your apps. The phone simply stops offering the AI shortcuts. Circle to Search will no longer respond when you circle something, the keyboard will stop suggesting rewrites, and the Gallery will hide the generative edit options.

Battery life may improve slightly, since the phone runs fewer background AI tasks, but the difference is small and hard to measure. The real benefit is a quieter phone that does what you ask and nothing extra. And if you change your mind, every switch is still there in Settings under Galaxy AI, ready to be turned back on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Galaxy AI delete my photos or notes?

No. Switching off Galaxy AI only stops the AI features from running. Your photos, notes, messages and apps stay untouched, and you can turn any feature back on later from Settings under Galaxy AI.

How do I turn off Circle to Search on my Samsung phone?

Go to Settings, then Galaxy AI, and switch off Circle to Search. You can also find it by searching for Circle to Search in the Settings search bar at the top of the screen.

Can I turn off Gemini without turning off Galaxy AI?

Yes, they are separate. Gemini is set as your digital assistant under Settings, then Apps, then Choose default apps, then Digital assistant app. Changing that setting does not affect the Galaxy AI features, which have their own switches.