Many Xiaomi smartphone owners running MIUI 12 are facing intrusive behavior from system services. Google Assistant is often activated accidentally when unlocking a device or pressing the power button for a long time, which can annoy users who prefer classic control or use alternative voice input solutions.
Disabling this service will not only save you from accidental launches, but also save battery power, since the background processes of listening to commands consume the resources of the processor. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods of deactivation of the assistant, from standard system settings to deeper configuration changes.
The setup process may vary depending on the specific model of your smartphone and the version of the firmware installed. However, the basic principles of Android remain unchanged, allowing you to apply the steps described below on most devices in the Redmi and POCO line.
Why you should turn off the voice assistant
The main reason users want to remove unnecessary features is privacy. The constant listening to the environment to activate the phrase "OK, Google" raises questions from many gadget owners. Even if the company guarantees data security, the fact that the microphone is not comfortable in the background.
The second important aspect is system performance: on Xiaomi’s budget models with limited RAM, each process running affects the speed of the interface, and disabling heavy services frees up resources for more important tasks, such as gaming or multitasking.
- 🔋 Increased battery life by stopping background synchronization processes and waiting for commands.
- ⚡ Reducing the load on the CPU, which is especially noticeable on older models of smartphones.
- 🛡️ Increased privacy and avoiding accidental activation of the recorder at the wrong time.
Also worth mentioning is the problem of random launches: in your pocket or bag, the phone can unlock, and the assistant will start executing commands or dictating notifications. Turning off Voice Activation completely solves the problem of random switching on in your pocket, which eliminates awkward situations and waste battery life.
Basic settings through the Google Menu
The easiest and safest way to limit the functionality of the assistant is to use the built-in settings menu of the application itself, which requires you to open the Google app on your desktop or find it in a list of all programs, usually indicated by a colored letter "G".
Once you start the app, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the screen. In the context menu that opens, select Settings. Then go to Google Assistant, and that's where the basic levers of service behavior are.
In the list that opens, look for the All Assistant Settings category, or immediately see the Google Assistant switch. Put the slider in the inactive position. The system may request confirmation of action, warning that some features will stop working. Agree to the changes.
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If the assistant continues to appear after turning off, check if the Google app has updated in the background, resetting the settings.
It's important to understand that this method turns off the smart assistant, but it doesn't necessarily remove the call with a button. To completely isolate the service, you'll need to do additional things, which will be discussed in the next sections. Check the device after the changes are made.
Disabling activation by power button
MIUI 12 has a default feature that triggers the voice assistant when you press the lock button for a long time (about 0.5 seconds), which is extremely inconvenient for many users, especially if they are used to turning off the screen quickly.
Open the Settings menu for your Xiaomi smartphone. Scroll down to the "Additional Features" section. In some firmware versions, this item may be called "Advanced Settings" or be located inside the "Special Features" menu.
In the window that opens, you'll see the option "Push and hold 0.5 sec." The default is "Google Assistant." Click on this and in the list that appears, select the Nothing option or the Off Menu if you want to return standard Android behavior.
☑️ Checking the button off
When you change the setting, try to press the power button, and if you have a switch-off or reboot menu, you have a successful setup, and this action does not delete your Google account, but makes calling the assistant through a physical button impossible.
Control through Android system settings
In addition to the application settings and the MIUI shell, there are system restrictions available through the feature menu, which prevents the application from blocking other windows or using certain permissions.
Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Features. In the Downloaded Services or Service Programs list, find Google Assistant. If it is active, click on it and select Stop or Turn off the permission switch.
Also check Settings → Apps → All Apps. Go to Google. Go to Other Permissions, where you can prevent the app from accessing the microphone, although this can disrupt the dictation of text in other programs.
| Parameter | Location. | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Voice activation | Google Appendix → Settings | Shut down. |
| Power button | Settings → Additional functions | Choose "Nothing" |
| Access to the microphone | Settings → Applications | Prohibit (optional) |
| Lock screen | Settings → Notifications | Hide content |
The use of system constraints is a more radical method.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling microphone access for Google services may disrupt Voice Search in Chrome and other system applications.
Using ADB to completely deactivate
For advanced users who want to completely remove the assistant component from the system without obtaining superuser rights (Root), there is a method using the ADB debugging bridge (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer.
First, activate Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on MIUI Version. Then, in the “Additional” → “Developers” menu, turn on USB Debugging.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistantExecuting this command puts the assistant packet into a user-0 state (main) in disabled mode, effectively removing it from the visible part of the system, freeing up RAM, and prohibiting any background starts.
How do you get it back?
To work the method will need to install ADB drivers on the computer and connect the phone in debugging mode.
⚠️ Be very careful when putting commands into ADB. A bug in the name of a package can cause the system to run unsteady or other important Google components to disappear.
Impact on the performance of other Google services
Disabling Google Assistant is an isolated action that in most cases does not affect the work of the search bar, maps or YouTube.However, some integrated features may stop responding to voice commands.
For example, Google Lens may not work as well if it is tied to the assistant processes in your version of MIUI 12, and the Continue on Phone feature, which allows you to flip web pages from PC to smartphone with voice, will also stop working.
If you actively use the Google Home ecosystem to manage your smart home, voice control over your phone will also become unavailable, and all other features like navigation, mail and calendar will continue to work as normal.
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Disabling Assistant does not delete your Google account and does not affect the synchronization of contacts, photos or documents.
In some cases, after updating the system, settings may be lost. Periodically check the status of services to make sure that the assistant does not activate again automatically after another update of Google Play Services components.