If you’ve been paying attention to Google lately, you know it wants us to use its AI tools. So much so that Chrome apparently downloads a 4GB file containing the details of how to run Google’s on-device LLM Gemini Nano. Computer scientist Alexander Hanff published the details on his website The Privacy Guy earlier this week and went into detail on why this isn’t a good look for Google.
I verified what you said about a file named “waits.bin” and found it in the Chrome folder in the macOS Library directory (which is usually hidden so users don’t mess with potentially important files). Actually, it’s a 4+ GB file, exactly where they said it would be. Hanf correctly notes that Chrome does not at any point prompt users to ask if they would like to install Gemini Nano Vet, which gives Chrome users AI-powered features like “help me write” and on-device scam detection.
Google provided the following statement to Engadget after this story was originally published:
“We have introduced Gemini Nano for Chrome from 2024 As a lightweight, on-device model. It powers critical security capabilities like scam detection And developer APIs without sending your data to the cloud. Although it requires some local space on the desktop to run, the model will automatically uninstall if the device is low on resources. In February, we began rolling out the ability for users to easily turn off and remove models directly in Chrome Settings. Once disabled the model will not download or update. More details in our help center Article.”
It’s worth noting that the wait.bin file was not installed on another Mac I checked, nor was it found on a coworker’s laptop. Immediately after updating Chrome to version 148.0.7778.97 on my personal laptop, the directory and file appeared. And when I deleted the directory containing the file on the first computer I checked, the large weight.bin file came back several minutes later.
Hanf wrote that he also observed similar behavior in multiple Windows installations. “User deletes, Chrome re-downloads, User deletes again, Chrome re-downloads. The only way to make the delete stick is to disable Chrome’s AI features via chrome://flags or enterprise policy tooling that home users typically don’t have, or uninstall Chrome entirely.”
It’s important to note that Hanff appears to have missed the relatively simple uninstall option that Google suggests in its Settings. If you go to Chrome Settings and then click “System” on the left-hand menu, there’s a toggle to turn off on-device AI features.
Additional issues raised by Hanf include that it may violate European privacy laws, including the GDPR. There are also potentially large environmental costs. Hanf estimates that the “mid-band” deployment of this 4GB file will affect 500 million devices, or about 15 percent of Chrome users. That push would result in about 30,000 tonnes of CO2e – the annual emissions of 6,500 cars. He also noted that this is just the initial delivery cost and that too many additional factors would lead to higher energy costs.
Update, May 6, 2026, 1:35 PM ET: This story has been updated with Google’s statement and notes that Chrome has provided a way to turn off on-device AI tools since February.
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