How to Fix Google Assistant on Your Pixel

Google Assistant is always there when you need it. But you don’t always need it. That’s why it can be frustrating when the digital helper just pops up out of seemingly nowhere. You don’t remember saying, “OK Google,” or squeezing your phone, but Google Assistant is ready to go, nonetheless. As it turns out, it might not be your fault at all.

On Monday, Google unveiled the August 2021 Android security update for Pixel devices. That’s pretty standard — we expect a new security update each month to ensure that Google phones are fully protected from any security vulnerabilities that may have popped up during the past 30 days.

These patches sometimes come with bug fixes, as well, to smooth over any annoying glitches or issues that might plague the Android community with any given version of Google’s OS. For August, there is only one bug fix, but it’s notable: a fix to prevent the accidental triggering of Google Assistant.

Google doesn’t go into any more detail about this issue, so we don’t have answers to the obvious questions that arise (like how long the bug has been in effect, how often these accidental triggers occur, or how one would replicate the issue in the first place).

What we do know is which phones this affects. According to this security update, the following Google devices will receive the bug fix:

• Pixel 3 & 3XL

• Pixel 3a & 3a XL

• Pixel 4 & 4 XL

• Pixel 4a

• Pixel 4a (5G)

• Pixel 5

Google is already rolling out this update to these devices, but when you receive it depends on your device and carrier. To check if the update is available, head over to Settings > Security, then tap “Security update.” If the update is available, just tap “Security update,” then follow the steps on-screen to download and install the patch.