How to change the voice of the vacuum cleaner Xiaomi: a guide

Modern robot vacuum cleaners from the Xiaomi brand and the Mijia ecosystem have become an integral part of the smart home, offering advanced navigation and cleaning functions. However, for many users, the initial setup can be overshadowed by an unexpected problem: the device greets the owner with a greeting in English or Chinese.

Changing the voice packet is a procedure that most owners can use, but it requires understanding the architecture of the Mi Home app. Depending on your robot model, whether it’s Xiaomi Vacuum Mop 2 Pro or earlier Roborock series, the algorithm of actions can vary significantly. It’s important to determine immediately whether your particular model supports language change through a standard menu or requires deeper intervention.

In this article, we’ll look at all the known ways to change voice, from simple switching in region settings to advanced methods using third-party utilities, and learn why the server region plays a key role and how to safely experiment with voice module firmware without turning a smart assistant into a brick.

Why does the vacuum cleaner speak a foreign language?

The root cause of foreign speech lies in logistics and software constraints. Global versions of devices often come with universal firmware, where English is the default language, and if you purchase a device designed for the domestic Chinese market, Chinese is guaranteed to be the starting language.

In addition, regional server binding dictates the available language packages. Mi Home automatically loads resources corresponding to the selected region on the first run. If you choose China, then you should not expect Russian voiceovers in the standard menu, since the server simply will not give this file to the device.

⚠️ Warning: Trying to change region on an already connected device without first untiing can lead to loss of map history and cleaning settings.

Also worth considering is the speaker model and the hardware version. Some budget models have a hard-wired set of phrases in the controller's memory, and you can't programmatically change them without flashing the entire device, and in such cases, owners often resort to external speakers or resign themselves to the situation.

Verification of compatibility of the model and version of the software

Before you start active, you need to make a thorough diagnosis of the device, not all models support the voice package function (Voice Package), most often this feature is available to devices of the middle and high price segment, released after 2019.

To start, open the Mi Home app and go to the robot's home control page, and you need to find information about the firmware version, which is usually located in the upper right corner or in the Settings section (three dots), write down the current version so that if you fail, you can try to roll back or find specific instructions.

There is a table of compatibility of popular models and methods of language change:

If your model isn't listed, it doesn't mean that change isn't possible. Often, manufacturers add support for new languages with firmware updates, so the first step should always be to update the software to the latest available version through the app.

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Use the About Update Check feature in the Mi Home app before any manipulations. New voice packets often come with system updates.

The standard method of changing language through Mi Home

The safest and easiest way to change voiceover is to use the app's built-in menu, which works for most global versions of vacuum cleaners. First, make sure the robot is connected to Wi-Fi and appears online on the device list.

Go to the robot control interface and click on the settings menu icon (usually three dots in the corner).Look for a section that may be called Settings, Voice Package, or Voice Package. In some versions of the interface, this item is hidden inside the General Settings sub-menu.

In the list of available languages, select the desired one, for example, "Russian" or "English", after selecting the system will prompt you to download the corresponding archive. The download process depends on the speed of your Internet and can take from 30 seconds to several minutes.

• 📱 Make sure your phone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network, not mobile internet, to avoid a download break.
• 🔊 While installing a voice packet, a robot can make strange sounds or talk intermittently — this is a normal process of recording data.
• 🔄 After successful installation, it may be necessary to restart the device, which will occur automatically.

If there is no language selection, but the model is officially sold in your region, try changing the language of the Mi Home app itself. Go to the user profile (the "My" tab) and find the interface language settings. Sometimes changing the application language forcibly changes the robot's voice.

The method of changing the server region

When standard methods fail, users often resort to changing the region of the application, a method based on the fact that different servers (China, Europe, the United States, Russia) have different sets of available resources, but this approach is the most risky for user data.

The idea is to completely remove the device from the app, change the region in the profile settings, and re-add the robot, for example, if the robot is Chinese, it needs to be tied to the China region. If you want Russian voiceover, but the device is global, sometimes the Russia region or Germany region helps.

⚠️ Warning: Relocation will remove all stored room maps, cleaning schedules and no-go zones.

To do this, go to the user profile, click on the current region and select another. The application will warn you of the consequences. After changing the region, add the device again using the + button. During the connection, you may need to reset the Wi-Fi module on the vacuum cleaner itself.

There's a nuance with Chinese versions of robots, which often require a connection to a China server to work smoothly, and if you connect a China server to a European server, it may not work smoothly or change the language at all, and in such cases, users compromise by leaving the Chinese server but installing modified voice packets.

Use of third-party utilities and modifications

For advanced users who aren’t afraid to experiment, there are tools like Xiaomi Vacuum Map Creator or specialized scripts for the local server, which allow you to embed custom voice packets that are not available in official stores.

One popular way is to use the Install Voice Package feature via a debugging menu that can be accessed via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) if the vacuum cleaner is running on Android, which requires connecting the robot to the Wi-Fi network from a computer and entering special commands.

adb connect 192.168.1.XX


adb shell miio_client download_voice ru_RU

This command is exemplary and may differ from model to model, and using such methods requires precise knowledge. IP-The token can be obtained through plugins for Home Assistant or special ulites for PC.

• 💻 This method requires a computer with installed ADB Basic command line knowledge.
• 🔓 You must know exactly the device token, otherwise the command will be rejected by the robot server.
• ⚠️ The risk of “bricking” (software breakage) when using third-party files is extremely high.

If you're not confident, you'd better limit yourself to official methods. An incorrectly recorded voice file can lead to a cyclical reboot of the device, where the robot will constantly turn on and off, without starting the system completely.

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Using third-party software gives maximum flexibility, but requires technical skills and removes the device from the official warranty.

Frequent problems and their solution

When changing voices, users often encounter common errors, the most common being “voice packet loading error,” which may be due to an unstable connection between Xiaomi’s server and your router.

To solve the problem, try changing it. DNS-servers in your router's settings to public from Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).This often helps to establish communication with update servers, especially if the provider has problems routing traffic.

Another problem is that the robot starts talking in fragments of phrases or mixing languages, which is a sign of a damaged voice firmware file, in which case you need to perform a complete reset of the device (usually by clamping two buttons on the body) and repeat the setup procedure from the beginning, making sure that the Wi-Fi signal is stable.

⚠️ If after all the manipulations, the robot emits only sound signals and does not speak at all, perhaps the speaker has failed or the plume inside the body has gone away.

Also, remember that memory limitations are important: older models may not have enough space to store multiple language packets at once, and when you choose a new language, the old one can be automatically deleted, which is the normal behavior of the system.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions