Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
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Every so often, I find myself performing a quick but essential check to ensure that my Google Pixel 9 Pro still has a healthy amount of available storage. Although I rarely get close to exhausting the total capacity, maintaining ample storage space is a precaution that prevents potential problems before they arise. When an Android device runs critically low on available memory, it can begin to stutter, slow down dramatically, or, in extreme cases, become nearly unusable. Preventative maintenance—like verifying storage availability—ensures continued reliability and performance consistency.
Over the years, I’ve encountered numerous Android and iPhone users whose devices are filled to the brim with photos, lengthy video clips, and decades of personal memories that they can’t bring themselves to delete. Their hesitation is understandable: those files often represent precious experiences. Yet, digital clutter steadily consumes system resources and storage space. So what can you do when you need additional room without sacrificing what matters?
Interestingly, Android provides a hidden opportunity to clear up significant space—sometimes as much as 10GB—by disabling a relatively obscure background service. Intrigued? Keep reading to discover how this small adjustment can make a surprisingly large difference in your phone’s available memory and responsiveness.
### AICore: The Engine Behind On-Device AI
Before taking direct action, it’s helpful to understand precisely what AICore is and why it occupies such a considerable portion of your phone’s resources. AICore serves as the foundation for Android’s self-hosted artificial intelligence models, including Gemini Nano. These models empower many advanced features that modern Pixel devices boast, such as Magic Composer, Pixel Studio, Call Notes, Pixel Screenshots, intelligent text suggestions, audio summarization, and contextual understanding of both images and sounds.
The AICore service performs two primary duties: first, it ensures that your phone’s built-in AI models remain updated with the latest improvements, and second, it acts as a communication layer connecting those models to various apps. However, this convenience carries a cost. AICore not only occupies multiple gigabytes of storage but also tends to use system resources continuously, which can lead to higher memory consumption and increased battery drain over time.
### Disabling AICore on a Pixel Device
If you decide that sacrificing a few AI-enabled luxuries is worth reclaiming several gigabytes of space and possibly improving overall battery life, the process of disabling AICore is straightforward yet precise. Begin by opening the **Settings** application. You can do this by either selecting the Settings icon from your App Drawer or swiping down twice from the top of your screen to access the full **Notification Shade**, then tapping the gear-shaped icon located at the bottom right corner.
Once inside **Settings**, locate the **Apps** section—usually visible near the top of the list—and select it. Within that menu, find and tap the entry that reads **“See all X apps”**, where *X* corresponds to the total number of applications installed on your device. Scroll through the alphabetical list until you see **AICore**. Depending on how many apps start with ‘A’ or numeric characters, it should be near the top of the list.
Selecting AICore brings you to a dedicated application page. Here, tap **Disable**, and when a prompt asks for confirmation, choose **“Disable app.”** This effectively deactivates the service, halting its processes. You’ll likely notice that AICore alone had consumed over 5GB of data—sometimes more depending on model updates and stored information.
For a deeper cleanup, tap the **three-dot menu** at the upper-right corner of the AICore page and select **“Uninstall updates.”** Doing so removes previously downloaded update files associated with the service, further freeing storage space that was previously occupied. While Android does not allow complete removal of AICore itself, disabling it and uninstalling its updates will earn you a significant amount of reclaimed storage capacity almost immediately.
### The Results of Disabling AICore
After completing the process, you may observe subtle yet meaningful improvements. Your Pixel might run a bit more efficiently, with smoother performance transitions and marginally enhanced battery endurance. Moreover, any recurring notifications previously associated with AICore’s AI models should disappear entirely, making for a cleaner, less intrusive experience.
However, this adjustment is not without trade-offs. Disabling AICore does not lock you out of all AI functionalities on the device—many general tools remain available—but it does impact particular features that rely heavily on AICore for backend processing. One notable example is **Pixel Screenshots**: once AICore is disabled, this feature ceases to function. Therefore, if the screenshot utility is integral to your workflow or daily use, consider carefully before disabling the service.
It’s worth noting that nothing about this procedure is permanent. Should you find that certain conveniences are too valuable to lose, you can easily re-enable AICore by returning to the same settings pathway and toggling the service back on. In mere moments, your AI-driven features will resume normal operation, albeit at the cost of reclaiming that previously recovered storage space.
In conclusion, disabling AICore is a practical way to reclaim up to 10GB of storage space on a Google Pixel phone while potentially improving efficiency and reducing battery consumption. The process empowers users to exercise greater control over their device’s internal resources, maintaining a delicate balance between modern AI convenience and optimal system performance.
Sourse: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-disable-aicore-google-pixel-free-storage/
