Alex Ruben
How To Disable Google News Feed on Android
If you’ve ever gotten tired of swiping left and seeing that never-ending stream of news, suggestions, or whatever Google thinks you wanna see, you’re not alone. It’s kind of weird how aggressively Google pushes this feed, especially when all you want is a clean home screen. So, this is about wiping that clutter away and reclaiming your space. The steps aren’t super obvious, and sometimes the settings don’t stick unless you do everything just right. So, here’s a rundown that’s helped out on a few phones, though it’s a bit of trial and error at times.
How to Disable Google News Feed and Discover on Android
Access Your Home Screen Settings
First, you need to get into your home screen settings. Usually, long-press on an empty area on your home screen, then select Home Settings or just Settings in that menu. On some devices, it might be nested inside Display or a custom launcher menu, so don’t sweat if you see different options. The goal is to find the menu where you can tweak what shows up on your home screen. This step keeps you away from those endless swipes that lead to the Google Discover feed, so it’s pretty key.
Disable the Google Discover Feed
Once you’re in the settings menu, look for an option like Show Google Discover, Enable Home Screen Feed, or maybe Add New Apps to Home Screen — depending on the device and Android version. On some, you might have to go into the Google app itself, tap on your profile picture, then head to Settings > Discover. Disabling or toggling off this option is what stops Google from cluttering your left swipe with news cards. This step makes the feed disappear and should give you a menu that’s just your apps and nothing more.
Hide News Suggestions and Media Page
Sometimes, the Google app still sneaks suggestions or media pages onto your home screen, even if you turned off the Discover toggle. To cover all bases, go into Settings > Apps & Notifications > Google > Preferences > Discover and make sure the toggle for Show News Suggestions or any similar option is off. Also, check the menu inside the Google app — tap your profile picture > Settings > General — and turn off anything that could be airtime suggestions or news cards. On some phones, this step weirdly makes things a lot cleaner, but on others, it needs a reboot or cache clearing to fully stick.
Make Sure Changes Are Saved and Working
After all that, go ahead and swipe left on your home screen. If everything was done right, the Google News or Discover feed should be gone. If it’s still there, try closing and reopening the Google app, or restarting your phone. Sometimes the changes don’t kick in immediately because of Android’s caching, so patience (or a quick reboot) might be necessary. Also, clearing the Google app cache can help — go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Google > Storage > Clear Cache. This sometimes resets stubborn suggestions that keep reappearing.
Extra tips & common hiccups
Here’s a couple of things that came up in the wild:
- On some setups, toggling these options works only after a reboot, so try that if it’s stubborn.
- If Google keeps reappearing even after you disable the options, double-check in the Google app settings that Discover or News Suggestions is fully off.
- Some custom launchers or Android skins make this a real pain. You might have to disable the feed in the launcher or switch to a more stock-style launcher if it refuses to quit.
Wrap-up
So yeah, turning off that Google news feed on Android isn’t exactly straightforward every time, especially on manufacturer skins or heavily customized phones. Still, just keeping an eye for those toggles, clearing cache, and rebooting usually does the trick. It’s kind of a pain, but once you get rid of that distraction, your home screen feels a lot cleaner. Hopefully this shaves off a few hours of frustration for someone out there.
Summary
- Open your home screen menu, find Home Settings
- Look for options related to Discover, News Suggestions, or Add to Home Screen
- Disable or toggle off these options
- Check inside the Google app’s settings if needed
- Clear cache and reboot if things stubbornly persist
Finally, some words
Getting rid of that Google News feed can be a bit of a hassle because Android manufacturers love to hide or rename those settings. But with a little patience, it’s possible to get back to a plain home screen and avoid all those suggested stories. If nothing else works, consider ditching the Google Discover toggle completely and use a launcher that doesn’t push news at all.