Google Assistant on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones is often activated by accident – just press the Home button or say “OK, Google.” For many users, this feature becomes a source of irritation: it eats battery power, collects data about location and habits, and also interferes with games or watching videos. Especially relevant problem for owners of models Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4 and other devices on MIUI 12-14, where the assistant is integrated at the firmware level.
In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to disable Google Assistant, from standard settings to hidden settings and ADB commands. You’ll learn how to remove the assistant from the lock screen, prevent it from auto-starting, and even deactivate voice control without root rights. All methods are tested on current versions of MIUI and work even after system updates.
Why Google Assistant is not disabled through standard settings?
The main problem is the aggressive integration of Google services into Xiaomi firmware. Even if you turn off the assistant in the Settings menu → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Voice, it can:
- 🔄 Automatically activate after restarting the device;
- 🎤 Listen to voice commands in the background (even with the microphone turned off);
- 📱 Appear on the lock screen when you press the Home button long;
- 🔋 Battery discharge due to constant synchronization with Google servers.
The fact is that MIUI uses its own system application launch mechanisms to bypass Android's limitations. For example, in the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, the assistant is tied to the com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox service, which has system application privileges, so simply turning off the settings often doesn't work.
⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) When you disable the Assistant, you may stop using voice search in Google Chrome or YouTube. If you need these features, use the methods in the Alternatives section.
Method 1: Disconnect via Google Settings (Basic Method)
This method is suitable for most users and does not require technical skills; it disables the basic functions of the assistant, but does not remove it completely.
- Open the Settings app on your Redmi.
- Go to the Google → Settings section for Google apps.
- Select Search, Assistant and Voice → Google Assistant.
- Scroll down and click General Settings.
- Turn off the switches: 🔘 Google Assistant (Main Tumbler); 🔘 Voice Match (Recognition of OK Google»); 🔘 Personalized results.
Assistant on the lock screen
After this, the assistant will stop responding to voice commands and gestures, but its process will still hang in the background. To check the result, press the Home button - instead of the Assistant, the MIUI menu should open or nothing happens.
☑️ Checking the Assist's shutdown
Method 2: Remove updates and disable via apps
If the basic method didn’t work, try resetting the Google app to the factory version, which will remove any updates that might have returned the Assistant’s functionality.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find the Google App (not to be confused with Google Play Services!).
- Press Warehouse. → Remove updates.
- Then select Disable (if the button is active).
- Reboot the phone.
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
Method 4: Disconnect via Miui Hidden Settings (Hidden Menu)
MIUI has a hidden menu called Miui Hidden Settings that allows you to manage system applications without ADB. This method works on MIUI 13/14 firmware and does not require a PC connection.
- Install the Miui Hidden Settings app from the Play Store.
- Open it and grant special access rights → Display over other apps.
- Go to the Manage Applications section.
- Search for Google and Google App (also known as Google Quick Search Box).
- For each application: 🔘 Turn off Show in Launcher; 🔘 Install Disable; 🔘 Take the tick off Run in Background.
Reboot the phone.
This is less radical than ADB, but may not work on newer models (like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+), where Xiaomi has blocked access to hidden settings.
💡
If your weather or search widgets stop working after you turn off, return your settings for the Google app to Miui Hidden Settings, but leave only Google Assistant disabled.
Method 5: Replacement with an alternative assistant (without completely shutting down)
If you need voice control features but don’t like Google Assistant, consider the alternatives:
- 🤖 XiaoAI (built-in Xiaomi assistant): Activated by long pressing Power; Supports Russian (partially); Less data collection than Google.
- 🌐 Alice from Yandex: better understands Russian; Integrated with Yandex services (Music, Maps, Weather); Can manage smart Xiaomi devices.
To set up XiaoAI:
- Open Settings → Special Opportunities → XiaoAI.
- Turn on the switch Voice Assistant XiaoAI.
- Assign activation to the Power button (in Settings → Buttons and gestures).
💡
Replacing Google Assistant with XiaoAI or Alice allows you to keep voice control, but with less battery consumption and more privacy.
What if the assistant is back on after the update?
After updating MIUI or Google Play Services, the Assistant's settings may reset.
- 📵 Freeze the app via Miui Hidden Settings or ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
- 🛡️ Turn off Auto Update for Google App: Open Play Store → click on the profile avatar → Settings → Auto-Update Apps; Choose Not to Update Automatically; Find Google in the App List and uncheck the Auto-Update box.
App Ops
- Install App Ops;
- Find Google and disable the permissions Microphone, Camera, Location.
If Assistant still shows up, check if Google launchers (like Google Now Launcher) are installed on your phone, which can automatically restore the Assistant, and replace them with a standard MIUI Launcher or Nova Launcher.