Remove search suggestions

[SentinelAeon]

I am having trouble disabling search suggestions when using google, youtube and google maps on my a3 2017, android 8.0. I disabled all the options i could find but still i get suggestions. For instance in google maps, i type in first letter and my phone lags displaying all possible street names

 

[Frick]

Is that even possible? I've just assumed it's not. And yeah it's annoying. Like how the local parking or weather apps search the entire globe. Oh cool yeah Piteşti, Romania, can I park there? No? But i can accidentally search there anyway? Cool.

I hate apps and the internet. It sucks.

But as for the google stuff, I assume you've turned off history? I assume you have to turn it on in order for Google to actually know what you're usually searching for.

 

[DrCR]

@SentinelAeon , if you’re annoyed to the point of trying something else, the MapQuest app got into my radar years ago, and I’ve happily used it ever since. Literally driven across the continent multiple times with it at this point.

 

[SentinelAeon]

What about google search and youtube search. Is it possible to prevent it giving me some random suggestions. For instance, if i type in G, about 99% of the time im looking for gamers nexus. Yet it gives me 10 other suggestions i dont care about. Can i turn that off ?

 

[DrCR]

What about google search and youtube search. Is it possible to prevent it giving me some random suggestions. For instance, if i type in G, about 99% of the time im looking for gamers nexus. Yet it gives me 10 other suggestions i dont care about. Can i turn that off ?

Switch to DuckDuckGo (search engine, not app) regardless?

 

[1freedude]

Besides DDG,

Startpage - Private Search Engine. No Tracking. No Search History.

Search and browse the internet without being tracked or targeted. Startpage is the world's most private search engine. Use Startpage to protect your personal data.

www.startpage.com

has customization settings, set by cookies. Search suggestions can be turned off. I have an old G maps app that does not auto search, but it hasn't been updated in years, and most modern functions don't work with my setup. But I use it because it just plain works. If you are interested, I'll send you the .apk

 

[Udyr]

What about google search and youtube search. Is it possible to prevent it giving me some random suggestions. For instance, if i type in G, about 99% of the time im looking for gamers nexus. Yet it gives me 10 other suggestions i dont care about. Can i turn that off ?

Google and all their services will always suggest something based on IP, user (if you're logged in with your google account), location, and your specific computer. They collect all this info for this purpose (along with the obligatory ad).

Sometimes cleaning the history would still yield similar results. Using a VPN might change some of these though.

 

[Frick]

What about google search and youtube search. Is it possible to prevent it giving me some random suggestions. For instance, if i type in G, about 99% of the time im looking for gamers nexus. Yet it gives me 10 other suggestions i dont care about. Can i turn that off ?

It depends on what you mean. As said above it will adjust based on location and so on, but basically the first time you use a fresh installation (or private tab in a browser) and go to say Youtube you will be given the option to disable as much stuff as Google allows, which practically means you will get the experience of a random Youtube-viewer (based on location and so on) meaning the suggestions will be targeted to that.

If you want Google to suggest Gamer's Nexus you have to turn all of that tracking on, otherwise Youtube won't know typing "G" means you want Gamer's Nexus. So what you're looking for is not actually blocking things you're not interested in, what you want is Google to create a profile on you and suggesting things you might be interested in.

 

[The red spirit]

Is that even possible? I've just assumed it's not. And yeah it's annoying. Like how the local parking or weather apps search the entire globe. Oh cool yeah Piteşti, Romania, can I park there? No? But i can accidentally search there anyway? Cool.

I hate apps and the internet. It sucks.

But as for the google stuff, I assume you've turned off history? I assume you have to turn it on in order for Google to actually know what you're usually searching for.

Certainly possible by not using GApps as much as you can. For maps and navigation, open street maps with some app works great. Google itself could easily be replaced with Qwant or DDG. For weather Accuweather is generic shit, but nothign beats local weather forecast. Besides YT, Gmail, Play store and translate, Google doesn't exist to me anymore

 

[1freedude]

Certainly possible by not using GApps as much as you can. For maps and navigation, open street maps with some app works great. Google itself could easily be replaced with Qwant or DDG. For weather Accuweather is generic shit, but nothign beats local weather forecast. Besides YT, Gmail, Play store and translate, Google doesn't exist to me anymore

Ditch those, too. Look up Lineage OS for your device. I use google apps, but sandboxed versions not relying on play services or framework.

 

[The red spirit]

Ditch those, too. Look up Lineage OS for your device. I use google apps, but sandboxed versions not relying on play services or framework.

No way, I won't use custom ROM on daily phone.

 

[1freedude]

Huh, ok. I haven't used a stock rom as DD for over a decade. Mainly because of reasons like posted in #1. If I don't like it, I can change it or delete it.

 

[leeamtheone]

Google and all their services will always suggest something based on IP, user (if you're logged in with your google account), location, and your specific computer. They collect all this info for this purpose (along with the obligatory ad).

Sometimes cleaning the history would still yield similar results. Using a VPN might change some of these though.

True, that's why we get a different set of cookies on the same sites we frequent while traveling - the ads change to the most "relevant" ones based on where we are at that moment. I'm not sure there's a way to turn this off completely, though there are some possible tweaks. Still, whenever we make a query, Google has to comb everywhere to find the right reference points before presenting the list of choices in SERP. Of course, brands know this and optimize their stuff on various devices, so... it works both in and against our favor, I guess...

 

[Klemc]

I switched back to Vivaldi from Opera because of that disable suggestions option not working in Opera.