How to Turn Off Google AI Overviews on iPhone (Free, Step by Step)

If you want to turn off Google AI Overviews on iPhone, the good news is you don't need a jailbreak or a paid app — just a few free tricks that push Google back to plain old blue links. AI Overviews are the AI-written summaries that now appear at the top of almost every Google search, and on a small iPhone screen they can push the actual website results halfway down the page. This guide walks through every working method, from a one-tap filter to a permanent Shortcuts fix.

Why Google AI Overviews Show Up on Your iPhone

Google rolled AI Overviews out to nearly all English-language searches, and on mobile Safari or the Google app they take up even more space than on desktop. Google has said in its own support material that AI Overviews are a core part of Search rather than an optional feature, which is why there's no single "off" switch buried in Settings. That doesn't mean you're stuck with them — it just means the fix has to work around Google rather than through a hidden toggle.

Common reasons people want them gone include:

• The AI summary is often wrong or oversimplified for technical or medical questions.
• It pushes the actual source websites further down, so you have to scroll more.
• It slows down searches on an older iPhone or a weak connection.
• Some people simply prefer to read the original source rather than an AI's summary of it.

Method 1: Turn Off Google AI Overviews on iPhone with the Web Filter

This is the fastest fix and works in Safari or Chrome on iPhone with no setup at all.

1. Open Safari (or Chrome) and run your search on google.com as usual.
2. When the results load, look at the row of filter tabs under the search bar (All, Images, Web, News, and so on).
3. Tap Web.
4. Google reloads the page showing only traditional website links, with no AI Overview box.

The catch: you have to tap "Web" every single time you search, since Google doesn't remember the choice between searches on iPhone.

Method 2: Use the "-ai" Search Trick

A quicker one-tap-free option is to add a short modifier straight into your search box.

1. Type your search as normal, for example best budget phone 2026.
2. Add -ai to the end, so it reads best budget phone 2026 -ai.
3. Search. Google treats this as exclude AI and skips the Overview box on that query.

It's not officially documented by Google, but it's been reliable through 2026 and is easy to remember since you just tack it onto the end of anything you type.

Method 3: Turn Off AI Overviews on iPhone Permanently with a Shortcut

This is the closest thing to a real "off switch," and it's completely free using the built-in Shortcuts app.

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the + icon to create a new shortcut.
3. Add the action Open URLs and set the URL to https://www.google.com/search?q=Text&udm=14, where "Text" is a variable you'll fill in from a prompt.
4. Add an Ask for Input action above it so the shortcut asks you what to search, then feeds that text into the URL.
5. Name the shortcut something like "Search No AI" and add it to your Home Screen.

The &udm=14 parameter is Google's own internal code for "text-only results," and it has quietly worked as a reliable bypass since it first appeared. Tapping your new Home Screen icon instead of the regular Google app means every search skips AI Overviews automatically, no filter tapping required.

Method 4: Switch Your Default Search Engine in Safari

If you'd rather sidestep Google altogether for some searches, iPhone lets you pick a different default engine.

1. Open the Settings app and scroll to Safari.
2. Tap Search Engine.
3. Choose an alternative like DuckDuckGo or Bing, both of which currently show far fewer AI-first results than Google.

You can always switch back for the searches where you specifically want Google's index, and use one of the methods above to strip out the AI box when you do.

What To Do If AI Overviews Keep Coming Back

If you're using the Google app instead of Safari, note that the "Web" filter trick and the "-ai" modifier both still work inside the app itself. If you've saved the Shortcuts fix to your Home Screen but it stops working, double check the URL still contains &udm=14 at the end, since Google occasionally changes result pages, so it's worth re-testing the shortcut every few months. Pairing this with a few of the free AI tools covered on NextTechly can also help if you want AI answers on your own terms instead of baked into every search.

Final Thoughts

You don't need to accept AI Overviews taking over your iPhone's search results. Between the one-tap Web filter, the "-ai" trick, and a permanent Shortcuts fix using udm=14, you've got a free way to get clean, AI-free search results in seconds. If you've already gone through the process to turn off Meta AI in WhatsApp, this is a natural next step for anyone trying to take back control from AI features that switched on by default. And if you're curious what AI is actually useful for, check out our list of ChatGPT prompts that save real time, sometimes the fix isn't turning AI off everywhere, just choosing where it shows up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official setting to turn off Google AI Overviews?

No. According to Google's own Search Help documentation, AI Overviews are considered a core part of Search rather than an optional feature, so there's no built-in toggle in Settings. The workarounds in this guide (Web filter, -ai modifier, and the udm=14 shortcut) are the most reliable free alternatives.

Does turning off AI Overviews slow down or change my other Google results?

No. Every method above only removes the AI summary box, your regular website links, images, and news results load exactly the same, and for many people the page actually loads faster without the AI Overview generating first.

Will these tricks work on Android too, not just iPhone?

Yes. The Web filter and the -ai modifier work identically on Android. The Shortcuts app step is iPhone-specific, but Android users can get the same result by bookmarking a search URL that includes &udm=14, or by using a widget that opens that link directly.