Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the pre-installed system assistant does not meet their expectations or language preferences. The standard Mi AI is sharpened mainly for the Chinese market, making it almost useless for users from the CIS and Europe. There is a natural desire to replace it with a more functional Google Assistant or popular in the Russian segment Alice from Yandex.
The replacement process is not always obvious, as electronics manufacturers often hide the appropriate settings in the depth of the menu or rigidly tie them to hardware buttons. However, the Android system allows you to flexibly manage this setting if you know where to look for the right switches. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to change the assistant, from standard settings to advanced activation methods through the power button.
Not only can you install the new default assistant, but you can also reconfigure the physical buttons of the device to instantly call the service you want, and that will turn your smartphone into a really smart device that responds to voice commands in the way that you want, and we'll look at the nuances of working with the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS to make the instruction relevant to all models.
What is the difference between Mi AI, Google Assistant and Alice?
Before you start setting up, it’s important to understand the technical differences between the options available. Mi AI is a proprietary development of Xiaomi that is deeply integrated into the system layer of their devices. It knows how to manage some hardware parameters, but its language model is weak outside of China, and servers are often unavailable or late.
By contrast, Google Assistant is a native component of Android, with a vast knowledge base, excellent integration with Google services (Calendar, Maps, Mail), and a much better understanding of the context of the dialogue than its competitors, and for most users, this is the most logical default choice.
The third popular option is Yandex Alice, a third-party app that is installed separately, and its main advantage is its excellent understanding of Russian, local realities, traffic jams and integration with Yandex services (Music, Taxi, Market), but as a third-party application, it requires additional settings to work fully as a system assistant.
⚠️ Note: Complete removal of the Mi system application AI root rights are not possible or recommended, because this can lead to bugs in the shell, and our goal is to reset priorities, not break the system.
The choice depends on your needs: if you want deep integration with the Google ecosystem, choose their assistant. If you live in Russia and use Yandex services, Alice will be more convenient. Mi AI makes sense to leave only if you are actively using Xiaomi smart home with servers in China.
How to Install and Activate Google Assistant
On most global versions of MIUI and Google HyperOS, the Assistant is already built in, but can be hidden or disabled. The first step is to make sure that the Google app is updated to the latest version through the Play Market Store. Without the current version of the software, the Assistant functions may not work properly.
To activate, open the Google app and log in to your account. Click on the profile avatar in the upper right corner and select Settings. Next, go to Google Assistant, where you need to make sure that the switch is activated, and in the Languages section you select Russian and other languages you need.
☑️ Checking the readiness of Google Assistant
An important step is learning to use a voice model, and in the assistant settings, find Voice Match, and the system will ask you to say "Ok Google" or "OK Google," several times, so that the smartphone can respond to your voice, ignoring the outside conversations and the TV.
Once set up, try calling the assistant with your voice. If you have a reaction but it doesn't appear on the locked screen, check the lock settings. In the assistant menu, find the Devices → Phone section and enable the option Access from the locked screen, which will allow you to control the gadget without unlocking it every time.
Setting up Yandex Alice as the main assistant
Installing Yandex with Alice is a simple process, but requires attention to detail for full integration. Download the official Yandex app or a separate Yandex app with Alice from the app store. After installing, log in to your account and allow all requested access, especially to the microphone and geolocation.
In order for Alice to work as a system assistant, she needs to be granted the appropriate rights. Go to your smartphone settings, select Apps → All Apps. Find Yandex in the list, click Additional (or three dots) and select the Default App. In the list that opens, find Assistant and select Yandex.
- 🎤 Voice control: In the settings of the Yandex application, enable the function "Voice activation" so that Alice responds to the word "Alice" or "Yandex".
- 🔓 Lock screen: To work on a locked screen, you may need to remove power saving restrictions for the Yandex application in the battery settings.
- 🧩 Integration: Alice is great at opening apps, searching for information and managing Yandex’s smart home, but is inferior to Google in deep system teams.
It is worth noting that on some versions of MIUI, the system can aggressively kill Yandex background processes. To avoid this, open recent applications, press the Yandex icon and select Lock. Also, in the battery settings, set the application mode as No Restrictions.
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For stable work Alice on Xiaomi be sure to turn off the traffic saving for this application in the section "Data Transfer", otherwise she may not hear you when using the mobile Internet.
Change assistant through system settings Android
If the automatic setup didn't work, you can force the system to specify which app should be responsible for voice commands. This method is universal for all versions of Android, including shells from Xiaomi. The path to settings may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI.
Go to Settings on your phone. Search by settings (a magnifier at the top) type in the word "assistant" or "default." You want a section that is usually called the default Apps. It can be in the "Apps" menu or in advanced settings. In some versions of firmware, the path looks like Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three dots on the top right → Default Apps.
In the menu that opens, look for Digital Assistant (or simply “Helper”), and click on it and you’ll see a list of all the apps that can perform that role, and choose the assistant you need: Google, Yandex, or any other compatible one.
| Parameter | Google Assistant | Yandex Alice | Mi AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface language | Multilingual | Russian (main) | Chinese/English |
| Integration | Deep (Systemic) | Through the app | Deep (Systemic) |
| Working without a network | Basic teams | Requires a network | Limited. |
| Smart home. | Google Home | Yandex Smart Home | Mi Home |
Once selected, the system can request permission confirmation, and be sure to agree to all points, especially regarding access to contacts, location and activity history, without which functionality will be severely limited.
Reassign the power button and swipes
One of the most annoying features of Xiaomi is the long-pressed power button binding to the Mi AI call. Fortunately, in modern firmware versions, this feature can be disabled or reassigned. This is a critical step for comfortable use of the smartphone.
Go to Settings → Additional Features (or “Special Features”). Find the Power Button section. Here you will see the option “Push 0.5 sec.” The default is “Mi AI.” Change the value to Nothing (if you want to disable) or Google Assistant, if this option is available in your version of the software.
For models with HyperOS and newer versions of MIUI, the algorithm may be different. Sometimes the settings are made in a separate Settings → Assistant menu. If you can't reassign the button to Google using standard means (this happens on Chinese versions of firmware), you can use third-party utilities, such as Button Mapper. This application allows you to reassign any buttons, including double-press and swipes.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party button reassignment applications (Button Mapper), special permissions are required through the use of the buttons. ADB Or a special feature menu. Be careful when issuing rights.
Also, don't forget about swipes. In Settings → Additional Features → Gestures and quick start, you can assign the assistant to swipe in the corner of the screen or to a specific combination of taps. This is a convenient alternative to buttons if the physical button is busy calling the off menu.
Solving Frequent Problems and Conflicts
Even when you set up the right way, users may find that the assistant is not called or is not running smoothly, and often the problem is a conflict between several active assistants, and if you have Mi AI and Google activated at the same time, the system can get confused about who to call.
Try clearing the cache and data of the Google app. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google → Storage → Clear the cache. If the problem persists, you can try Clear all data, but this will reset some personalized search settings.
- 🔄 Update: Make sure not only is the Google app updated, but also the Google Assistant, Google Play Services, and Google One".
- 🔋 Energy saving: Check if the backup limit is worth it. In the Battery section, find the assistant app and set the No Limits mode".
- 🌐 Network settings: Sometimes resetting network settings or switching helps DNS 8.8.8.8 if the assistant servers are blocked by the provider.
What if the power button still calls Mi AI?
If nothing works, check the region of the device. In the settings Additional → Region, change country to India or Singapore, set up an assistant, and then return your region. Sometimes this resets the binding to local Xiaomi services.
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The key to success is to avoid conflict, and keep only one system assistant active and make sure the power button doesn’t duplicate its call if you don’t need it.