Google installed a 4 GB AI on your device without telling you
Earlier this month it was discovered that Google has been using users’ local storage to download a Gemini model in its Nano version. Even if the user deletes the file, the download is re-triggered automatically. The model is downloaded together with Google Chrome, without the user’s explicit consent.
No permission request
At no point does Chrome ask for permission to download, nor does it invite the user to join any internal program. The file, named weights.bin, is stored in a folder inside the profile directory created when installing Google Chrome — specifically in a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel.
The file is about 4 GB and contains the weights for the Gemini Nano model. The download happens when the AI tools are enabled, so the user may not notice that a large file is being transferred to their device in the background.
The issue is worse in Brazil
AI features are enabled by default in Chrome and there is no simple way to disable them. A typical user will usually leave the feature enabled — and the download will occur without the necessary consent.
In Brazil, nearly half of phones — around 45% — are entry-level devices with limited storage. As apps grow larger, every extra file needs to be checked. A 4 GB file being installed silently is a real problem for these users.
What Google says
“We have offered Gemini Nano for Chrome since 2024 as a lightweight on-device model. It enables essential on-device features such as fraud detection and developer APIs without sending data to the cloud.”
— Google, statement to G1
The technical rationale is valid: processing data locally is more private than sending it to the cloud. But that does not change the fact that the user was neither informed nor consulted about the use of their storage.
How to stop the re-download
To disable the model and avoid repeated downloads, the user must access Chrome’s advanced settings:
- Open Chrome and go to
chrome://flagsin the address bar - Disable the available AI tools on that page
- Manually delete the
weights.binfile located in theOptGuideOnDeviceModelfolder inside the Chrome profile directory
Keep in mind the path to this file is not intuitive, and an average user would hardly find it without guidance.
