How to disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

Owning a modern Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone is often accompanied by obsessive attempts at artificial intelligence to help the user, even when it is not necessary. Many device owners face the situation when long pressing the power button instead of the usual switch-off menu, the voice assistant starts up. This can be annoying, especially if you are used to the classic control scheme or simply do not use the functions of Google Assistant. Fortunately, the Android system and the MIUI shell provide flexible tools to manage this service.

Turning off the voice assistant is not just a way to get rid of random activations, but also a step towards optimizing the device. The background processes involved in constantly listening to the phrase "OK, Google" can consume battery power, albeit slightly. More importantly, changing the settings allows the phone to return to the usual logic of operation, which many have been accustomed to for years. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to deactivate the service.

It’s worth noting that the customization process may vary slightly depending on the operating system version and regional features of the firmware. Global versions of MIUI and the new HyperOS have their own nuances in the layout of menu items. We’ll look at universal methods that cover most use cases so you can have full control of your device.

⚠️ Attention: Disabling Google system services may affect the smart home and other applications that are tied to the searcher ecosystem.

Disconnection through Google Settings

The most direct and logical way to control voice assistant is directly in the Google app, and that's where the main switches for voice and button activation are located. To get to the desired menu, open the Google app on your smartphone and go to profile by clicking on the avatar in the upper right corner of the screen.

The list that opens up will look for the Google Assistant section, and it will offer a few categories of settings, but we're interested in the core subsection called "Assistant," and it's where all the key parameters, including voice control, appearance and devices, are concentrated, and it's where the basic configuration of the assistant behavior takes place.

Once you go to the assistant menu, scroll down to the All Assistant Settings section. Here you will see the Google Assistant switch. By turning it to off, you completely deactivate the assistant functionality on the device. However, often you just need to turn off the button, leaving the service itself working for other tasks.

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Completely disabling in the Google app blocks all of the assistant’s features, including voice commands and start from the lock screen.

It's important to understand the difference between completely shutting down a service and changing how you activate it. If you just want your phone to stop responding to the word "OK," just look for the appropriate switch in the "Hey Google and Voice Match" section, which will keep the functionality functional, but remove the constant background activity of the microphone.

Power button management in MIUI and HyperOS

One of the most common causes of user irritation is the change in the behavior of the power button. In modern versions of Xiaomi shells, a long press on the power button by default causes Google Assistant, not the off menu. You can return the usual functionality through the system settings of the phone without affecting the settings of the Google account itself.

To do this, go to the settings menu of your smartphone. The path can look like Settings → Additional settings → Advanced features or Settings → Special features, depending on the firmware version. Find the item "Push and hold the power button." In the window that opens, you will see two options: "Google Assistant" and "Switch off Menu".

Select the "Switch Menu" option, and then the action changes instantly, and no reboots are required. Now, with a long press of the power button, a standard window will appear with the sliders of the switch off and reboot, as well as emergency call buttons, which brings back the classic ergonomics of using a smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware may have a menu item called “Button shortcuts” or be in the “Google” section inside the main system settings.

If you use the new HyperOS shell, the logic remains the same, but the visual design of the menu can be more minimalist.Look for the section related to gesture or button management. It is important not to confuse this with alarm settings or flashlight, which can also be tied to double-pressing the power button in some scenarios.

Setting up Google Discover and widgets

Often users confuse the voice assistant with the Google Discover News Feed, which swipes right on the home screen or in the app menu. Although these are different services, they are closely integrated. Disabling the search widget and newsfeed also helps reduce the intrusiveness of Google's desktop ecosystem.

To remove the widget, press the empty space on your desktop and select "Widgets" or "Add." Find the "Google" widget in the list and remove it if it is installed. If you are swiping left (negative first screen), you need to pinch the empty area on your desktop, select "Screen settings" or "Add" and disable the option "Google Discover" or "Google Tape".

This action won’t delete the account, but it will remove the visual element and turn the swipe into empty space or return standard phone search.For many users, this makes Xiaomi’s interface cleaner and faster, as it eliminates loading the news feed every time you unlock.

Using a spreadsheet helps you quickly match the problem with the solution. Remember that removing widgets does not affect the performance of the search bar in the Chrome browser or other Google applications. You just remove items from the home screen for more comfort.

Limitation of background activity and permissions

For those who want to go further and limit the presence of Google services as much as possible, there is a permission management method, and even if the assistant is formally enabled, you can deny him access to the microphone or location, which will effectively make it useless for data collection, but leave the call functionality available.

Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Search the Google app in the list. Inside the App Permissions section, you'll see a list of access requests. Find Microphone and select Prohibit. Now voice commands won't work because the app won't be able to hear you.

Also, you should pay attention to the Battery section in the Google app settings, set the Power Saving mode "Strict Limits" or "Limited" to prevent background processes and synchronization, which is especially important for devices with a small battery capacity.

However, this approach has consequences: Restricting rights can lead to incorrect dictation of text in the Gboard keyboard or voice search in the browser, a compromise solution that suits advanced users who understand the relationships between the system components of Android.

⚠️ Warning: A complete ban on microphone access can disrupt the dictation of text in messengers and notes, as they often use Google’s system input service.

Using ADB for Advanced Users

There is a more radical method that requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and using USB debugging. With the help of the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) toolkit, you can not just disable, but “freeze” or remove updates to the Google Assistant system package, which requires caution and understanding the command line.

To start, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click on the build number seven times. Then in the advanced settings, turn on "Debugging on USB." Connect the phone to your PC and type in a command to remove the assistant package for the current user.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistant

This command will remove the assistant only for your user profile, without affecting the system partition, which is safe for warranty and allows you to return everything back by resetting. Once you execute the command, the voice assistant will disappear from the system completely, and it will not be possible to call it by any means.

Use this method only if you know exactly why you need it and have experience with the command line.

Alternative voice assistants

By abandoning Google, many users are looking for a replacement: Xiaomi devices have built-in Mi AI (in some regions) or Xiao AI. However, it is tailored primarily for the Chinese market and may be useless for the Russian-speaking user without complex configuration and changing the region.

Alternatively, you often think of Yandex Alice or Siri (if you use an iPhone, but we are talking about Xiaomi). On Android, you can install Yandex with Alice and assign her to the default assistant. To do this, in the phone settings, find the "Default Apps" → "Help" and select Yandex.

This will allow you to use voice control in Russian with better localization than Google, and without being tied to American servers.Alice integrates well with Yandex.Navigator and music services, making it an excellent choice for residents of the CIS.

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When changing the default assistant, check if voice-enabled activation ("Listen, Yandex") is supported, as this requires separate permissions in the background.

The choice of alternatives depends on your habits, and if you are deep in the Google ecosystem (Gmail, Maps, Calendar), then completely disabling their assistant can create inconvenience, in which case it is better to leave the default settings by simply turning off the power button activation.

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