I reclaimed 10GB of storage space on my Pixel by disabling this one background app

Source: ZDNet

Every so often, I have to check that I have plenty of storage space on my Pixel 9 Pro. It’s not that I regularly run out of space (or even come close), but it’s always best to be safe. After all, if an Android phone runs out of space, it would most certainly not perform well (or at all).

Here’s the thing: I’ve known so many Android (or iPhone) users whose devices are filled with photos and videos they don’t want to delete.

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It’s all about AICore

AICore is all about self‑hosted AI models, such as Gemini Nano. Those models take up space (in some cases, lots of space). The large language models (LLMs) are used for features such as Magic Composer, Pixel Studio, Call Notes, Pixel Screenshots, smart replies, summarizing audio, and understanding images and sounds.

AICore is responsible for two tasks: keeping the AI model up to date and connecting it to various apps. It not only takes up a lot of space but can also consume significant system memory and battery power.

How to disable AICore on a Pixel phone

1. Open Settings

Open the Settings app. Either tap the Settings launcher in your App Drawer or pull down the notification shade twice and tap the gear icon near the bottom right corner.

2. Open Apps

Locate and tap Apps in Settings.

3. Open all apps

Tap the entry labeled “See all X apps” (where X is the number of apps you have installed).

4. Navigate to AICore

Scroll the list and tap AICore. It should be near the top unless you have many apps that begin with numbers or the letter “A”.

5. Disable AICore

On the AICore page, tap Disable. When prompted, confirm by tapping “Disable app”.

6. Uninstall the updates

Tap the three‑dot menu in the upper‑right corner and select Uninstall updates. This clears the space taken by the updated components.

Although you cannot delete AICore entirely, disabling it and uninstalling its updates can recover significant storage space.

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After disabling AICore, I noticed a slight improvement in performance and battery life, and all of those AI notifications disappeared. Disabling this feature does not prevent you from using AI features overall, but it does disable certain functionalities, most notably Pixel Screenshots. If you rely on Pixel Screenshots, you may want to keep AICore enabled.

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If you find you need those features later, you can re‑enable AICore from the same location.