How to permanently disable the assistant on Xiaomi Mi9: from the button to the voice

Xiaomi Mi9 is one of the most popular flagships of the brand, but its built-in assistant (be it Google Assistant or Mi AI Assistant) is not always convenient. Someone accidentally launches it with a power button, someone is annoyed by constant prompts, and some just want to save battery power. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to disable the assistant, from basic settings to deep system changes.

It is important to understand that on the Mi9, the assistant can work in two ways: 1) Physical button – holding the power button or home key (depending on the firmware) calls the assistant. 2 Voice control – phrases like “OK, Google” or “Little Ai” activate listening.

We’ll look at how to deactivate both options, including hidden MIUI settings that don’t show up in the standard menu.

Before you start, check the firmware version: Settings path → About phone → MIUI version. This affects the availability of certain features. For example, in MIUI 12+, some options are moved to the Special Features section, and in older versions they can be in the Additional.

1. Disconnect the assistant through the standard MIUI settings

Let's start with the simplest one, built-in system options, which is suitable for most users and doesn't require super-user rights.

Go to: Settings → Applications → Application Management → All Apps

In the list, find:

• 🔍 Google (to disable Google Assistant)
• 🤖 Mi AI Assistant or Xiaomi Assistant (for a brand assistant)

Select the desired application, then:

Shut down.

Stop it.

⚠️ Note: In some firmware, after disabling Google Assistant, voice search in the Chrome browser stops working. To return only search, you will have to use the method with the help of the Google Assistant. ADB (section).

To disable voice activation: Settings → Voice input and output → Voice assistant

You can deactivate here:

• 🎤 «Okay, Google (for Google Assistant)
• 🗣️ «Little Ai" or "Xiao Ai" (for Mi) AI Assistant)

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If this menu doesn’t have the right items, update the Google app through the Play Market or clear its cache in Settings → Apps.

Standard settings allow you to disable most of the assistant's functions, but do not remove the power button hold call.

2. Reassign the assistant button without root

On the Xiaomi Mi9, holding the power button by default calls the assistant. To fix this, use the built-in "Assistant Button" feature, which is available in MIUI 10 and later.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Special features → System settings → Assistant button.
2. Turn on the Assistant Button switch (if it is turned off).
3. Select Action on Hold and set No Action or Power Menu.

Make sure the power button does not call the assistant | Check the double press (if you have) |Reset the phone for changes | Try to hold the button locked.

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If your firmware does not have the Assistant Button item, try an alternative path: Settings → Additional → Buttons and gestures → Assistant Button

⚠️ Note: Some custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience) may not have this section. ADB (section).

Once the button is reassigned, the assistant will stop running when held, but voice commands will remain active unless you have disabled them in the previous section.

3. Disconnecting the assistant through the "Developer Mode"

If the standard methods didn't work, we'd try to use a hidden setting for developers, which doesn't require root, but requires activation of the developer mode.

How to turn on the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row.
3. Enter a pattern lock or password if required.

After that, the main settings menu will appear in the section For developers.

Now, let's turn off the assistant.

1. Go to Settings. → For developers.
2. Find the option to Disable Mi AI Assistant (or Disable Assistant in English firmware) and activate it.
3. For Google Assistant, search for the Default Assistant app and select None.

This method is effective for disabling voice activation, but may not affect the call of the assistant button. For a complete shutdown, we recommend combining it with a reassignment of the button (section 2).

Google Assistant|Mi AI Assistant (Xiao Ai)|Both of them.|I don't use assistants.|Other-->

4. Complete disabling via ADB (no root)

If previous methods didn't work, you'll need to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that allows you to disable the assistant at the system level without getting root permissions, and is suitable for all versions of MIUI, including custom firmware.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS
• 📱 Cable USB (preferably original)
• 🔧 Utility. ADB Tools by Google
• 🔑 Included debugging by USB phone-on

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Before connecting to ADB, make sure that the phone has the USB Debugging option (Settings → Developers) enabled and Xiaomi drivers installed on your PC.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and unpack ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Connect the Mi9 to your PC and select File Transfer mode.
3. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Linux/macOS) in the folder with ADB.
4. Enter the commands in turn: adb devices (should appear with a serial number device) adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox (disables Google Assistant) pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.voiceassist (disables Mi AI Assistant)
5. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: These commands do not remove the applications completely, but only disable them for the current user.

If the assistant still starts after executing the commands, try an additional command to reset the button settings:

settings put secure assistant null

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ADB-The method is the most reliable way to disable the assistant without root, but it requires caution.

5. Disconnecting the assistant with root rights

If you have root access (like Magisk), you can completely remove the assistant apps or block them from working at the system level, which gives you maximum control, but requires root experience.

Methods of shutdown:

• 🗑️ Delete via File Manager: Use Root Explorer or FX File Manager to delete files: /system/priv-app/Velvet/Velvet.apk (Google Assistant) /system/priv-app/VoiceAssist/VoiceAssist.apk (Mi AI Assistant) ⚠️ Attention: Removal of system APK This can lead to a bootloop (locked phone on). TWRP.
• 🔧 Freeze via Titanium Backup: Freeze the com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox and com.miui.voiceassist apps.
• 📝 Editing build.prop: Add to the file /system/build.prop line: ro.opa.eligible_device=This will disable compatibility with Google Assistant at the system level.

After any changes to root rights, be sure to clear the cache in TWRP or through the command:

su


rm -rf /cache/*




rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/*




reboot

6. Alternative solutions: Replacing the assistant with another application

If you don't like the standard assistant, but you want voice control functionality, you can install an alternative.

• 🤖 Bixby for Samsung fans)
• 🎵 Alice from Yandex (integrates well with Russian-language services)
• 🔍 Siri (if you have an Apple device)
• 🛠️ Tasker + AutoVoice (for advanced users)

To assign another application to the assistant button:

1. Install an alternative assistant from the Play Market.
2. Go to Settings → Applications → By default → Assistant and voice input.
3. Select the desired application from the list.

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To completely replace Google Assistant with Alice, install the official app and allow it to access the microphone in the settings.

Advantages of Alternative Assistants:

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after the assistant is disabled, Xiaomi Mi9 users sometimes face problems.

1.The assistant starts after the MIUI update

• 🔄 Reset the settings of the Google and Mi apps AI Assistant in Settings → Annexes.
• 🔧 Repeat the steps from Section 4 (ADB), The update could have returned the standard settings.

2. The power button does not respond to retention

• 🔋 Check if the charge saving mode is turned on – it can block a long press.
• 🛠️ Reset your gesture settings in Settings → System system → Gestures.

3. Voice search in the browser has stopped working

• 🔍 Enable back Google App in Settings → Apps, but disable Google Assistant in voice settings.
• 📱 Install an alternative voice search app, such as Voice Search from APKMirror.

4.After the assistant was disconnected, the notifications disappeared

• 🔔 Check permissions for applications in Settings → Notifications.
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes the system resets notification rights after changes.

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If after all the manipulations, the assistant keeps running, the problem is probably the custom firmware. Try reflashing the phone to the official global version of MIUI.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions