Table of Contents
Introduction
As one of the market’s leading TV brands, Modern Samsung TV models are advanced and sophisticated devices that are equipped with numerous additional options besides their cutting-edge operating system. These include various built-in tools and applications that can be installed to enhance user experience.
The voice assistant is one such accessibility tool that allows users to control their TV better. It is particularly helpful for individuals who have poor vision or blindness. It gives an audio description of the various menu items and offers feedback when you turn on streaming apps.
In newer Samsung TV versions, this feature works as a voice guide and allows users to give voice commands to perform various actions or enter text. You may find many similarities if you have used Talkback or Screenreader on Android devices.
How to Turn Off Samsung Voice Assistant
At times, the voice assistant may be an unneeded feature, and users may find it hard to turn off voice command. All the talkback and the screen reading can be annoying, and being unable to turn it off may be highly frustrating.
If you use voice services like Alexa in the house and encounter problems like random beeping sounds, you may already be apprehensive about having unwanted sounds from smart appliances that are otherwise intended to make our lives easier.
Often it so happens that the voice assistant turns on by itself due to a non-obvious keys combination you may have pressed by accident. In such an instance, you may find it problematic to disable the voice assistant.
As an obvious solution, you can disable the voice guide or Bixby voice settings to silence the TV narration. You may also want to check any connected devices or applications to turn off the voice.
The good news is by following a few simple instructions; you can disable voice guide settings. Continue reading this space to have a better understanding of how to turn off voice assistant in a Samsung TV.
Use the Volume Button to turn off voice assistant
The first and most likely the easiest method you can try first is using the volume button on the Samsung TV remote. To disable Samsung’s voice assistant via the volume button, here is what you need to do.
Turn your TV on and press and hold the volume button on the remote until the voice guide option opens.
Now press the select/center button to disable voice assistant.
Use Accessibility settings to turn off voice assistant
The next option you can try is to use the accessibility settings. Since the voice guide is a part of these settings, you can turn off voice guide from the accessibility settings menu. Here is what you need to do.
Turn on your Samsung TV and select settings menu via the Home button on the TV’s remote
Navigate to the general settings and press enter
Now select the accessibility features from the general settings to open the accessibility shortcuts window and select voice guide settings from the menu.
Once the voice guide option is open, you will find it enabled. Turn this option off.
On some Samsung Tv models, you may need to hold down the volume button for two or three seconds to access the accessibility shortcuts window.
It is also pertinent to point out that even if the voice guide is off, you may still hear sound on the accessibility shortcuts window. However, this is nothing to worry about as this is a designated feature that cannot be disabled.
Use Voice Command feature to disable voice assistant
The next suggestion is to use voice command for disabling voice assistant. However, this technique would apply to only those Samsung TVs, the remote for which has a microphone button.
If your TV model is equipped with the voice control feature with Google Assistant, Bixby, or Alexa, you can use these to turn off voice guide.
Here is how you can turn off voice guide with your remote.
Locate the microphone button on your remote and press and hold it for a while
You may have to say commands like “Turn off voice guide” or “Voice guide off”
If the voice assistant were previously enabled, it would be turned off.
Disable Bixby Wake-up feature on Samsung TV
Bixby is the personal assistant on Samsung TV that can be used to switch channels, change the volume, or open movies or apps on Samsung TV. However, if the voice assistant keeps getting automatically activated, the voice wake up feature may be the reason.
By enabling the voice wake-up feature on the Samsung TV, you allow Bixby to listen to your voice even when no buttons are pressed on the Samsung smart remote. If the service detects a sound that it may infer as a command, the wake-up feature will be activated. In that case, you may hear a sound on your TV screen or see a Bixby icon. To turn off the Bixby voice wake-up feature on your Samsung TV, follow the following steps:
Go to your TV settings via the remote and open the General and Privacy settings to navigate to voice settings.
Select Bixby voice settings, scroll to Voice Wake-up, and disable it. Disabling the voice wake-up feature will not completely disable voice assistant on the TV, and you will be able to access it via the TV’s microphone button.
However, if you want to keep the feature enabled, simply dial down the wake-up sensitivity by setting it to low. Bixby will not become activated at unnecessary sounds if the sensitivity level is low.
On the other hand, if you do not want to use Bixby, you can turn it off by following these steps.
Go to your TV settings via the remote and open the General and Privacy settings to navigate to voice settings
Select Bixby voice settings, scroll to Privacy, and select Leave Bixby.
How to turn off audio description in old Samsung TVs
The tips mentioned above mostly apply to the newer version of the Samsung Smart TV. If you have one of the older Samsung TVs between 2014 and 2018, here are a few simple steps you can follow to turn off voice assistant.
Using your Samsung TV remote control, press the menu button
Once the menu pops up, press settings or system
From settings, select accessibility and go to the voice guide settings
Once you have selected the voice guide, turn it off to disable the voice assistant.
However, if you have even an older version of the Samsung TVs, do not fret; we have helpful suggestions through which you can disable voice guide.
In the older Samsung TVs, particularly the ones before 2011, the accessibility menu may not be available. Thus, if you own a Samsung TV that was released anywhere between 2008 and 2013, you may use the following instructions to disable the audio description. If you are unsure about your TV model, refer to the user manual.
Open the menu by using your Samsung remote.
Use the arrow buttons on the remote to navigate to the sound mode, and press OK once you are there.
Select Audio Language from the Broadcast option in the sound settings.
In the Audio language section, you may need to look for English AD, AD referring to the audio description. If the audio description is enabled, English AD will be selected.
To disable audio description, switch to English only
In some Samsung TV models, the Audio description can be enabled or disabled by pressing and holding the menu button for a few seconds.
FAQs
Why is my Samsung Smart TV speaking to me?
If your smart TV or projector is narrating every action you perform, it means that the voice guide is enabled.
How can I get my Samsung Smart TV to stop talking?
You can turn off the voice assistant on your Samsung TV by holding the volume button for a few seconds to open the voice guide. Once open, press the center button to disable voice assistant. You can also disable the voice guide from the accessibility settings,
How can I turn off Bixby voice?
To disable Bixby, open the voice settings via the General and Privacy settings from your remote control. Select Bixby voice settings, navigate to voice wake-up, and turn it off.
Conclusion
There are multiple ways through which you can disable the voice guidance function in your Samsung TV. Hopefully, one of the methods in this article worked, and you were able to turn off this feature and get rid of the annoying sound.
However, if you have tried all the steps and the feature still does not turn off, it may help to look at the user manual and follow the specific instructions required to turn off the voice guide function. You can also try uninstalling any app related to the voice assistant feature if you do not need it.
Which method worked for you? Let us know in the comments!